


Walk On In

by Tainted_Ink_And_Paper (You_Light_The_Sky)



Category: Code Geass
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Black Knights Suzaku, Gangster Suzaku, Lelouch is too nice for his own good, M/M, Who is Zero in this Alternate Universe?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-05-01
Updated: 2012-05-01
Packaged: 2017-11-04 15:33:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 107,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/395407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/You_Light_The_Sky/pseuds/Tainted_Ink_And_Paper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. SuzaLulu. Lelouch had an odd habit of taking strays… especially unwanted ones. Suzaku, the Japanese biker who waltzes into his home without permission, comes with more baggage than he can handle... like the Black Knights, like Zero.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introduction: Stalkers

**Author's Note:**

> Originally on ff.net, under my pen name "Tainted Ink and Paper." It starts off as a rom-com but eventually grew into a big plotty story. It's on hiatus.

**Walk On In**

**-Introduction- Stalkers**

The first stray that year was the cat.

"Shoo, cat. Go away. I don't have any lunch for you," he glared at the black cat that was looking up innocently at him, completely unaware of his growing irritation.

Here he was, as usual, running late for class at Ashford Academy because he had taken a detour on the way to school which just happened to lead to his favourite coffee [shop](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5321256/1/Walk_On_In) along the way. That wasn't a coincidence. Lelouch Lamperouge just liked stopping by _Ohgi's Black Tea_ for his daily intake of caffeine. Sure, the shop was run by Japanese (or to other Britannians, Elevens) but they brewed an excellent double double and Ohgi always liked giving Lelouch an extra biscuit to go. Their cheap prices also scored a few points from Lelouch as well. Teasing Ohgi about his girlfriend Viletta every morning, who also happened to be Lelouch's gym teacher, was one of Lelouch's favourite pastimes.

The tables outside were round and white, shaded by colourful paper umbrellas. Seated by himself, Lelouch was curled up with a pile of paper and novels. He preferred to sit outside in the sunshine by himself. Black thick-framed reading glasses sat on the edge of his pale nose as amethyst eyes blinked in annoyance.

Being tardy for class didn't bother Lelouch at all. The cat that was currently pawing at his left ankle, brushing against his pant leg, did. The thing was, Lelouch hated to be bothered. At [the moment](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5321256/1/Walk_On_In) he was reading a very engaging novel _The Book Thief_ written by Markus Zusak nearing the heightening climax of the novel. The cat cuddling up between Lelouch's legs was distracting him terribly. Couldn't he cut his morning classes in peace and quiet?

"Go away…" Lelouch kicked lightly against the cat, his thin limbs hardly a threat to any creature.

The cat merely purred in response. There was no collar around the cat's neck. Lelouch had a feeling it was a male cat… probably a stray. He really hated strays.

Because he was a mature and perfectly capable adult, he tried to ignore the cat and return to his book. The cat kept nudging him and purring very loudly. Lelouch's eyebrow began to twitch.

There was a slam. Lelouch had smashed his book on to the table as he seethed towards the unsuspecting cat.

"I don't have any food, ok? Just leave me alone!" Lelouch hissed at the cat.

Behind him, someone laughed at his childish efforts of shooing the feline away. Lelouch whirled around to face whoever mocked him, prepared to ruin that person's morning with a few clipping remarks and insults.

The man laughing at him seemed close to Lelouch's age, with muscular build and tanned skin. Light chocolate brown curls wisped across his forehead, barely covering his eyes. He was dressed in a leather jacket, all in black clothes, while a silver sword medallion hung around his neck. Sunglasses covered the man's eyes as he chewed on the cigarette between his lips in a mocking smile.

Lelouch couldn't help but wrinkle his nose up in disgust as he eyed the cigarette. Cigarettes, the very smell of those death-sticks, brought up bad memories… of _that man_ , of the fire… Lelouch diverted his gaze from the cigarette, berating himself. People could smoke if they wanted too, it wasn't his business.

The first word that popped into Lelouch's head to describe the man was: biker. The man was probably part of some local Japanese or Britannian gang. He certainly didn't look like someone that Lelouch should ever cross. Though it was reluctant, Lelouch knew that he was physically incapable in a fight, being thin and, as Sayoko-san put it, frail.

So Lelouch settled for a glare towards the chocolate haired biker and turned back towards the cat. Between the feline and the student, they both merely stared hard at each other. Lelouch could normally scare people off with his glares but this infuriating cat just kept looking at him with those big wide eyes that seemed to peer into his soul and…

"Oh fine..." Lelouch grumbled, knowing that he couldn't fight off his conscience. "If I buy you a tuna sandwich, will you please leave me alone?"

Once again, the biker staring at Lelouch and the cat, laughed once he heard Lelouch talking to the cat as if it could talk back.

God damn you, Lelouch thought silently to the biker, I hope you choke on your cigarette.

Tilting its head to the side, the cat meowed cutely, as if to say 'yes'.

The cat, who Lelouch was now calling Arthur (he was not attached damnit!), was really adorable, he had to admit. Nunnally would love a cat, Lelouch mused to himself, even though Jeremiah has forbid animals maybe I could… No, no, no…! I will not let this cat just seduce me into taking it home! I can resist my urges!

With that, Lelouch stormed into the Tea Shop, much to Ohgi's surprise and ordered a tuna sandwich to go.

When he returned, the cat was delighted to see the food and jumped into his arms, licking his face. Lelouch blanched and kept one eye closed, trying to calm the excited cat down.

"A-Arthur! Quit that or I'll keep this sandwich for myself! Now get down!" Lelouch scowled at the black cat.

The cat jumped down from his arms, actually listening for once and waited for its reward. Silently cursing the mysterious hypnotisms of cute felines, Lelouch placed the sandwich on the floor, watching Arthur chomp on the fish with a small content smile.

At least no one could see this. Lelouch didn't dare want to imagine what Milly would do if she knew of Lelouch's very hidden soft spot for strays.

"…That was a nice thing to do… for a _Britannian_ ," the Biker who had been leaning against the shop window commented.

It was obvious from his tone that it wasn't much of a compliment.

The Biker was probably another Japanese who silently detested Britannia for conquering his country. Lelouch wasn't surprised by this open display of hostility. The man was a biker and seemed like bad news. Of course, it wasn't surprising, because of the unjust treatment directed towards those called Elevens. Lelouch, himself, loathed that system, but he couldn't do anything about it. Lelouch only sympathized with the Biker in his hatred for Britannia. Other than that, there was nothing Lelouch could do but ignore him. He had a right to hate Britannians after all.

Besides, it was probably a good time to get back to class and face his angry teachers again. Blowing the biker's comment away, Lelouch packed up his books and papers into his bag, trying not to look at him. Seeing people with sunglasses on always nerved Lelouch a bit.

"Enjoy your meal, Arthur," Lelouch off-handily said to the cat, hoping to get rid of it once and for all before he made a decision he'd regret.

Like taking the cat home. He could resist the urges, damn it!

The cat was gone. Mildly perturbed, Lelouch scanned the sidewalk for any sign of Arthur… Had the cat just eaten and run off?

"Meow."

Arthur purred contently at Lelouch's feet, once more.

The twitching in Lelouch's right eye started again. For the third time that morning, the biker laughed at his predicament. Lelouch's embarrassment heightened as he cursed the biker in his head once more.

"I thought we made a deal here. I get you food, you eat and you leave me alone. Now shoo...!" Lelouch waved his hands at the cat. "Go. Now. Please…?"

He started to walk backwards very slowly, but the cat just kept following him, step for step, happy and content.

"Don't follow me to school, Arthur!" Lelouch yelled as he ran down the street, trying to get away from the persistent cat.

Following after him, as quickly as the cat, was the hearty laughter of the biker by the shop window.

* * *

A week had passed and the same routine happened every morning.

Lelouch would enter the Tea Shop, order a double double from Ohgi, bring up a short friendly conversation with the man, get a free biscuit and tuna sandwich, go out to his table outside, sit and find Arthur waiting expectantly for his food. Then Lelouch would find the irritating biker, who was still smoking his damn cigarettes, by the window as always just watching him and the cat. Lelouch would leave; Arthur would stalk him to school.

The teachers had all commented on the little cat that had entered school grounds and would perch by the window staring at Lelouch. Eventually, they even _let it in_ the classroom out of pity and then Arthur would perch himself on Lelouch's desk! The cat followed him everywhere: to school, to the shop, to his job, to his house…

And Lelouch just didn't have the heart to fully chase him off. He had had to lock the doors and windows to his house, hoping that it would eventually leave him alone.

Damn that cat.

"Meow…" Arthur now had the habit of jumping into Lelouch's lap as he read his morning book outside the tea shop.

Having learned that it did no good to pry him off (Arthur had really sharp claws that hurt like hell when you pissed him off), Lelouch let the cat be and absentmindedly stroked his fur. He hoped silently that Arthur did not have rabies or any other infectious diseases.

As usual, the biker puffed out a cloud of smoke, staring at Lelouch and Arthur. At least, Lelouch thought the biker did so, it was hard to tell with those sunglasses in the way all of the time. Sometimes Lelouch felt like he was being spied on by some F.B.I. agent from the movies. The biker gave Lelouch the creeps, a combination of the three things that made up his pet peeves: sunglasses, cigarettes and motorcycles.

Yes, Lelouch had seen the biker's motorcycle once. It was loud and annoying; let's leave it at that for now.

Suddenly Arthur jumped off his lap, chasing after something.

"Arthur?" Lelouch looked around to see that the cat was running after a squirrel. Typical.

His worry escalated as Arthur ran across the street, just as the traffic lights were going green. Lelouch's eyes widened. A truck was going to hit Arthur…!

"No!"

Without even thinking, Lelouch stumbled around the table, out of chair and dashed out into the street, ignoring all of the honking cars. His feet moved clumsily in front of each other, stamina faltering. People on the sidewalk shouted at him.

"Get out of the way! What are you doing?"

The only thing Lelouch could think of was getting that damned cat out of the way, as he scooped the running cat in his arms and fell down against the pavement across the street, his heart threatening to jump out of his chest.

It was only the gentle purring of troublesome cat in his arms that reminded Lelouch that he was, indeed, alive and that he had just done a very stupid thing.

He glared at the source of his troubles. "You stupid cat! What were you thinking? If I wasn't there, then you would've gotten yourself killed! That's it! It's too dangerous for a cat like you to be out here alone, you're coming home with me right now!"

An outburst of mirthful laughter echoed just in front of him. Lelouch looked up to see the dishevelled biker, standing by him. Had the biker run across the street as well? Lelouch hadn't noticed. Now the biker was just busy chortling at Lelouch, his laugh was like gentle music to Lelouch's ears.

Not that Lelouch liked the guy's laughter or anything. Ahem.

"You… you're funny," the guy smiled at him, removing his sunglasses, to reveal glowing emerald eyes. "You were totally going to keep the cat the whole time, weren't you? You must have a soft spot for strays; I've never seen anyone do that before for a _cat_!"

At least he's not making fun of me for being a Britannian, Lelouch thought sourly.

He got up; Arthur scooped in his arms and started walking as far away from the infuriating Japanese biker as possible.

"Hey wait! My name's Suzaku Kururugi!" The biker shouted after him, an equally as infuriating smile on his lips.

Lelouch rolled his eyes and planned a trip to the pet store.

* * *

Suzaku Kururugi, part of the gang known as the Black Knights, didn't know what to think of Lelouch Lamperouge.

His fascination with the Britannian student all began when Lelouch first entered _Ohgi's Black Tea_ , a primarily Japanese-run store, without a care in the world and ordered coffee. Lelouch hadn't even spared a glance at all of the Japanese (only) customers in the shop. Suzaku's first impression of Lelouch was stereotypical. The boy was probably another example of Britannian scum, coming in to order perfectly good food and then throwing it back in Ohgi's face to complain about it being cooked by Elevens. That was the general and typical response to expect from any Britannian that ordered from a Japanese store.

_Britannia took everything from Suzaku, sometimes he could still hear the screams in his nightmares, sometimes he feared the blood could never be erased…_

But Lelouch was different, an exception to every single thing that Suzaku had ever thought before about Britannians. When Lelouch had received the coffee and taken a sip, his eyes had lit up and a smile had graced his face. Suzaku remembered the first words he heard Lelouch say.

"It's perfect. I love it."

Not just good. Or adequate. Or great. But _perfect_. Suzaku didn't know it, but he had felt pride spring in his chest for his friend Ohgi, his fellow Japanese, that someone genuinely appreciated his coffee so much. Lelouch came back every day, becoming a loyal customer. Lelouch had been accepted by the regular customers since then, begrudgingly. They sent him glares, but he merely ate outside, leaving them all alone, unless it was raining. Then Lelouch merely sat in the back of the shop and left everyone to their own business, chatting with Ougi like an equal.

 _Britannians and Elevens will never be equals, they all jeered at him constantly, they'll treat you as inferior, the lower race…_ trash.

Another exception. Lelouch talked to Ohgi, an Eleven, as an equal, even though he himself was Britannian. He even used Japanese honourifics when he talked to the others. If things couldn't get even stranger, Lelouch had even managed to introduce Ohgi to his future girlfriend Viletta. The two had hit it off, despite their opposing backgrounds. Ohgi even sought some advice from Lelouch for tactical strategies. Suzaku knew that these strategies were for the Black Knight's nightly stake-outs and terrorist attacks. Ohgi, guiltily, convinced Lelouch that the advice was for a role playing game on the internet.

_Even if Lelouch was the sole exception, even Ougi knew that they had to keep rebelling against Britannia. "We have to regain our country's pride."_

" _But I can't help but feel guilty. That boy… he's different."_

That was when Suzaku had asked Ohgi for Lelouch's name. Lelouch. It was an odd and very typical Britannian name, but Suzaku couldn't help liking the way it sounded on his lips. Lelouch.

Three months had passed since Lelouch's first visit into the shop, three months passed for Suzaku's curiosity regarding the Britannian student escalated, until Suzaku suddenly found himself staring at Lelouch every morning by the window outside the shop.

He had mixed feelings about Lelouch. Was Lelouch merely an arrogant Britannian, or something different? Suzaku found that, although his animosity for Britannians remained, he couldn't bring himself to hate Lelouch in particular.

When Lelouch started talking to the local stray cat, Suzaku had lost it and started laughing. Lelouch wasn't that bad, for a Britannian.

_But Britannians would never lower themselves to save an animal. A mere stray. They were superior. They looked down on everything. They were a virus that spread through the earth, with no cure._

Then… then today, when Lelouch had run out into the street… for a cat of all things.

Suzaku had thought he would die. Before Suzaku had even thought about it, he had run after Lelouch, he had tried to stop him. Save him.

_But it was Lelouch, and Suzaku didn't want him to die._

Lelouch wasn't Britannian, Suzaku concluded, he was something else… just Lelouch. And somehow, Suzaku began to love him for that.

* * *

The second stray that year was the witch.

"Welcome to Pizza House. Can I take your order?" Lelouch recited perfectly, complete with his winning smile and eye contact.

Every night, except on Saturdays, Lelouch worked as the cashier at Pizza House. Sometimes Lelouch would bake the pizzas himself when the other employees weren't in. His fellow co-workers were interesting enough. Rakshata was a bizarre boss to have, always holding her pipe in her hands, wearing shirts that exposed her chest and laughing in a haughty voice. She often locked herself in her office and let Lelouch handle things, designing more motorcycles and who knows what. She was a part-time mechanic and she had another job that she didn't like to talk about. The pay was good as well as the hours.

Lelouch needed the money after all, for Nunnally's hospital bills, for Sayoko-san's monthly pay, for Arthur's cat food…

Sometimes he really hated that cat, although Arthur did cheer up Nunnally's day. Even Jeremiah had reluctantly accepted the cat into their household. Lelouch sometimes found himself petting Arthur contently as he played the piano.

"Yo. Get me the usual," came the monotonous reply.

Looking up, Lelouch met the amber eyes of C.C. Rolling his eyes, Lelouch hissed out, "If you keep coming out here, Rakshata will suspect something. I can't keep sneaking out free food for you, C.C."

C.C. merely stared at him. "Oh?" A rare frown came on her face, "but Lelouch, I'm just a helpless homeless girl living on the streets."

Wait for it… C.C. waited patiently.

"…Damn you. I'll go get your pizza," Lelouch bit out, sneaking off to the kitchen to smuggle three pizza boxes out without Rakshata's knowing.

"You should really start covering up your weakness for picking up strays," C.C. told him blankly, when he returned with her regular order.

Irritably, Lelouch responded, "Shut up and go, witch."

She looked down at the pizza. She had what she came for. "The pizza is greatly appreciated. I'll be back tomorrow."

If one thought that the relationship between C.C. and Lelouch merely consisted of C.C. lying to Lelouch for free pizza, they'd be wrong. C.C. was a girl who had always sat outside of Pizza House from day in to day out, singing random songs to herself in public. Declared a trespasser and a disturbance to the customers, Rakshata got Lelouch to get rid of her. But Lelouch had a begrudging soft spot for 'strays' as C.C. put it. He had given her a box of free pizza and told her to go away.

The next day, C.C. came back and demanded more pizza from Lelouch, figuring out that he was a class-A sucker.

At first Lelouch had ignored her, but then mysterious things would happen to him. His bus wouldn't come to his bus stop. He'd burn himself accidentally on the stove because he 'tripped'. When that didn't work, C.C. just went up straight and played the 'puppy-eyes-and-I'm-just-a-homeless-sap' trump card.

Lelouch was trapped after that.

Actually, Lelouch wasn't entirely sure if she was really a 'stray' so to say. The clothes that she wore, varied between only three outfits, and she kept her hair fairly clean. He was convinced that she must have a place to stay, so he didn't worry about it. As long as she was given her pizza, she was an annoyance taken care off.

The only thing that bothered Lelouch about it was his steadily emptying wallet. Sneaking out entire pizzas wasn't easy; he actually paid for it out of his own pocket. But he didn't tell C.C. that. He had a feeling she knew it, and was grateful.

"Wow… you work here, Lelouch?"

"…Kururugi-san…," Lelouch spit out reluctantly, "what are you doing here?"

Suzaku lowered his sunglasses and blew a puff of smoke in Lelouch's face from his cigarette. Watching Lelouch scrunch up his face and cough made Suzaku chuckle in response.

"I'm hurt. Just call me 'Suzaku', Lelouch, it's only fair," Suzaku grinned at him.

"...Are you going to order or not, Suzaku?" Lelouch got straight to the point.

Raising his hands up, Suzaku said, "Calm down. I'm just stopping by to talk to Rakshata. Gang stuff."

Lelouch noticed Suzaku's huge white motorcycle in the driveway, as well as several of Suzaku's fellow bikers: Tamaki, Kallen and several others… even Ohgi. Coincidentally, most of them were regulars at the Tea Shop. He realized that he had never asked Ohgi what the gang was called. Oh well, it didn't matter to him.

Looking up, Lelouch saw that Suzaku was staring at him funny again. He narrowed his eyes at him, "What?"

Suzaku turned away, "It's nothing. I just… It's weird to see a Britannian work in an Eleven—"

"—Oh please, Suzaku. Just say Japanese and cut all that Eleven crap," Lelouch interrupted. "I don't care either way."

For the umpteenth time, Suzaku got that weird smile on his face. The special one that Lelouch was seeing quite more often these days. Sometimes Lelouch would say something off-handily and Suzaku would just start looking at him with a weird glow… smiling… like _that_. It nerved Lelouch slightly, so he continued to act coldly towards the biker.

These days, for the past few weeks, Suzaku would sit down by Lelouch's table and just talk randomly about the weather, never stopping. The boy didn't get a clue when Lelouch moved inside the shop, away from him. Suzaku just followed Lelouch like a puppy (in leather and sunglasses) and continued rambling on about who-knows-what. He wanted to know about Lelouch's book, Lelouch's school, Lelouch. He wouldn't stop talking.

Lelouch felt like he could explode.

He needed his space. Suzaku was prying open the doors of Lelouch's quiet little world and just walking on in as if he belonged there.

That annoyed Lelouch greatly.

"Thanks Lelouch," Suzaku smiled happily at him.

How a tough looking biker like Suzaku could resemble an adorable puppy in just one moment, Lelouch had no idea.

"Well, Rakshata is back there," Lelouch motioned to her office, "just don't forget to knock… She gets really violent if you don't."

That stupid laugh again.

"I'll be sure to take your word for it, Lelouch," Suzaku went to the door.

In the meantime, Lelouch yawned and got ready to close up for the night.

Then he heard the scream.

Immediately, Lelouch ran out of the Pizza Shop and found C.C. cornered in an ally way by three cloaked men, their faces covered by strange masks with no faces on them. Lelouch's eyes darted to C.C. who was knocked unconscious, her arm was bleeding. One of the men had a knife.

Anger filled Lelouch as he shouted at them, "Who are you? I've called the police, don't you dare move!"

Of course, he was fibbing, but he was too infuriated to care.

"Shit… I thought it was just Rakshata in there… RUN!" One of the men shouted before all of the attackers scattered and raced to the streets.

Lelouch was more preoccupied with getting C.C. to safety. Instantly he was by her side, checking her pulse, relieved to see that she still had a healthy one. The wound was just a long cut that wasn't too deep along her right arm. She was ok.

"Ugh… Lelouch?" C.C. opened her eyes warily, dazed.

"Are you alright, C.C? Do you feel well enough to move?" He asked quickly, "I should probably call the hospital—"

Her hand tightened on his sleeve dangerously.

"Don't!" She shouted at him, and then lowered her voice, struggling to maintain her usual monotony, " _They'll find me that way_ … They'll find me if you call the hospital. Don't do it. Please."

Frustration raced through his veins. Lelouch couldn't understand why C.C. didn't want to go get any medical treatment for her arm. Didn't she see how much danger she was in? Wouldn't the hospital be the safest place to be…?

Unless she was running away from someone who had eyes in the government, from Britannia, or someone just as powerful…

 _He remembered drowning; screaming_ that man's _name just as the boat was sinking… there was so much fire… He had never been as afraid as when he realized that he was running away from the most powerful empire in the world._

Britannia.

"…You're in trouble, aren't you? A runaway of some sort…" Lelouch's voice concluded in a subdued whisper.

C.C.'s gold eyes flickered in response.

She was about to reply blankly again, but Lelouch stopped her.

"You can stay with my sister and I for the time being." The finality was there.

"But you'll just—"

"Look, I don't care who you are, or what you've done… Right now, you're the victim," Lelouch told her, "and I'm helping you."

Quietly, C.C. looked up at him. She shook her head. "Your sympathy for strays will get you killed someday."

Yet she stood up to follow him anyways.

* * *

From the window, Suzaku and Rakshata had seen every single thing that had happened.

"You knew _she_ was coming around this store every night?" Suzaku bellowed at Rakshata, his eyes filled with age old bitterness.

Rakshata shrugged. "It was easy to figure out. That Lamperouge is a softy and he's easy to see through without a mask. She wasn't bothering anyone except him, and he wasn't complaining, so I left it alone."

" _You should've told us._ " The threat was laced underneath his malice.

She smiled. "I don't care what Zero wants with that girl. I don't answer entirely to you Black Knights or Zero. Please let him know that."

"It's because of Zero that you're able to do all your research! You should show your gratitude for that!" Suzaku shouted, "Zero is going to save Japan, he's going to change the world for better so that…"

His hesitation amused her.

"You don't seem very convinced by Zero yourself, young pup," Rakshata sang out, leaning on her chair and inhaling her pipe. "I gave you the Guren, as promised. Anything unrelated to my baby is irrelevant to me. Got it?"

Suzaku was silent, hands clenched as he looked to the side, his cigarette butt falling to the floor. It went out as he squished it with his foot.

Leaning in on her desk, Rakshata smiled predatorily at him. "Penny for your thoughts?"

At first, it seemed like he wouldn't speak. Then Suzaku reluctantly asked her. "…Why? Why didn't you just report to us as soon as you saw her?"

Shrugging again, Rakshata took another inhale of her pipe. "Who knows…? Maybe I'm just as much of a softy as Lamperouge is. Maybe I just saw a girl where you all saw a tool. Tell Zero that for me. Oh and here's the package he wanted," she tossed a brown box at Suzaku, who caught it, unfazed.

He stared hard at her for a moment, and then bowed and left the office.

Before he shut the door, Rakshata spoke once again. "Do me one last favour and tell Zero that if he ever sends any members in my territory again within twenty feet of my precious employees, I'll have him tied up and sent to the Emperor without hesitation."

* * *

The third stray that year was… well…

C.C. had become a very permanent resident of the Lamperouge household, after two months in their company. Some days she did the groceries, giving Sayoko the day off and some days she played with Nunnally. He was happy to see his sister delighted at having a second new friend from her beloved brother. It almost made letting C.C. live in his house worth while had it not been for the piles of pizza in the living room, her habit of walking around in only her underwear (Jeremiah had enjoyed the show), hugging enormous Cheese-Kun plushies ("Are you finally coming out of the closet, Lelouch?" "Shut up Rakshata, it's for C.C.") and sneaking into his bed to sleep beside him.

Witch, Lelouch thought irritably, damn cat Arthur…

To start off, Lelouch had come home from work, extremely tired. As usual, he greeted Nunnally with a kiss on the cheek and a hug, said hello to Sayoko and Jeremiah, petted Arthur on the head and yelled at C.C. to shut the T.V. in his room off. Then he had thrown on his pyjamas and fell down literally to bed.

The next morning, Lelouch threw his alarm clock across the room again ("Onii-sama… I don't think Jeremiah likes repairing the window after you do that every morning."), and slept in for 15 more minutes.

When C.C. entered his room and drawled for him to get up, Lelouch merely groaned and glowered at her before heading to the bathroom.

What greeted him was a real surprise.

He blinked, blinked again and then blinked a third time just to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

"Suzaku…," he began as calmly as he could possibly do so, "what are you doing in my house… wearing my clothes?"

Said person looked up from the sink, in the middle of brushing his teeth with Lelouch's purple toothbrush, and then smiled sheepishly at him. His eyes were darkened, despite the smile, then lightened up as soon as Suzaku met Lelouch's eyes.

"C.C. said I could wear them, oh and I'm living here now."

There was no surprise when Lelouch started screaming obscenities and throwing objects across the room at Suzaku's head.


	2. Chapter 1: Rent

"Well, look at this… a sore puppy stuck out in the rain."

He looked up irritably, facing one of the last people on earth he wanted to see him in this state. His eyes widened from surprise and then narrowed. C.C., the very woman that Zero had all of the Black Knights chasing after, was staring at him, amused and unafraid of Suzaku's homicidal urges to strangle her for making his entire gang act like idiots. Didn't she know that Suzaku could have her pinned down in an instant and brought [before the](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5321256/2/Walk_On_In) very man she was now eluding?

"Before you attempt to apprehend me," C.C. drawled with disinterest, "you might want to hear out my proposition."

"…Why would I want to listen to anything you have to say?" Suzaku spat out, his loyalty to his gang and Zero, fuelling his dislike of the woman.

She smiled, looking at Suzaku eerily. She had noticed the motorcycle that stood limp by the wall beside Suzaku, and the single duffel bag, now drenched from the rain, filled with Suzaku's few possessions and clothes. It made C.C. hold her own umbrella, borrowed from Lelouch ("Lelouch-sama, why are you all soaked from the rain? Did you forget to pack your umbrella?"), closer just to mock the biker before her. He was soaked, no umbrella in sight, seated in front of a shabby looking three-floor apartment building in the ghetto.

Then there was the unmistakable stench of human blood… the wound that Suzaku was hiding in his side.

It was obvious to C.C. what had just befallen the young man. The idea of leaving him here to get killed by the Holy Assassins gang was tempting, since C.C. had no care for what happened to this biker of Zero's at all. Whether or not he lived mattered little to her, she would hardly bat an eyelash for this insignificant individual.

But maybe the two months living with the Lamperouges had given her an odd sense of gratitude, an obligation to [pay](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5321256/2/Walk_On_In) it forward.

Maybe she was just trying to defy her creator, her very nature to be secluded and uncaring.

Either way, Suzaku was lucky that she was having this mere whim, or he'd have been left to fend for himself.

"I can let you into Lelouch's place," C.C. told him blankly, "he'll be sympathetic to your [cause](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5321256/2/Walk_On_In)."

Suzaku's eyes, filled earlier with suspicion, were now surprised. A flicker swam beneath his gaze at Lelouch's name. Unanswered questions were on the tip of his speechless tongue.

C.C. smiled without any real mirth. "Did you think that I wouldn't know you were kicked out of your own home, Kururugi?"

**Walk On In**

**-1- Rent**

"Shit!"

The Holy Assassins first-rate killer, Gino Weinberg, paced back and forth in front of the expensive looking living room, adorned in modern and abstract art. His normally cheerful and happy face was plastered in a deep scowl, tears held back behind blue eyes. His blood braid, bounced back and forth against his back, and his standard uniform, dark purple, laced in gold, white pants. A gun was hidden in his purple coat, knives concealed all over his body.

On the sofa, was Anya, her pink hair lying lifelessly as a cushion, eyes closed. She seemed to be in deep rest, but there was a machine hooked up to her arm, checking for her heart beat. The machine was silent as if there was no heart beat. That was because there _was_ no heart beat. The girl was dead, dead about three hours ago from massive blood loss. Bandages had been wrapped around the wound in her chest to no avail. It had done no good. She was dead now.

Gino was alone.

Well, he had Rolo. But he'd never gotten along well with him. The three of them, Gino, Anya and Rolo had made up a special division within the Holy Assassins as their 'corps' of lethal killers. The leader sent them out whenever he wanted someone from another gang silenced for good. Normally, Anya and Gino did the killing. Rolo didn't care to do it, unless he felt like it.

Rolo was strange, killing only when he had the urge to do so. Often Anya and Gino would have to cover for the boy when he stabbed random strangers he met in the street for reasons he kept to himself. He never flinched when he killed either. Gino could understand enjoying the kill, the battle... but he couldn't understand how Rolo could just do it all so... mechanically. The kid had irked Gino for a long time, but it didn't matter any more.

Not when Anya was gone.

The other night, they had staked out after one of the Black Knight's aces, Suzaku Kururugi since Kallen Kouzuki's place of residence hadn't shown up in their information banks. Rolo had not come, claiming that he wasn't interested.

Needless to say, they had failed. Gino had been seriously injured, so had Anya. They both fled back to the apartment... by the time they got there, it was nearly too late. Anya had been wounded far more seriously than they had thought.

She had died from blood loss.

Gino wept.

But this wasn't the time to be crying. This was the time to call Rolo and set out on a very personal vendetta.

He was going to go after the Black Knights. He was going to find Suzaku Kururugi and kill him.

* * *

Lelouch Lamperouge was not at all happy. Well, perhaps this would've been a bit of an understatement.

Lelouch Lamperouge was suffering from extreme shock, outrage and a surge of anger that he was now familiarizing with the very disturbance, standing in front of him, dressed in his clothes, and using his toothbrush, declaring—what Lelouch hoped was—utter crap. There was no way that the Japanese biker he had met only three months ago, barely had any relationship with, had just announced, out of the blue, that he was now living with Lelouch.

Correction, living in the _same house_ as Lelouch, as living _with_ Lelouch, implied that they were on much closer terms. They were just mere acquaintances who saw each other at a coffee shop and it was supposed to be nothing more than that. Suzaku couldn't just walk in to his life and claim his house as his new living quarters. Lelouch would not let him.

"This is a nice flavour of toothpaste, strawberry," Suzaku said, clearly not bothered by Lelouch's hostile reactions towards him. "I didn't know that you used lilac-scented soap either."

This led to Lelouch, currently hurdling his plastic globe at Suzaku's head, only for Suzaku to evade the blow without even trying. Suzaku merely continued brushing his teeth with Lelouch's toothbrush while stepping from side to side to avoid the increasing amount of misses from Lelouch. The biker's eyes were silently amused at every attempt Lelouch made to hit Suzaku, playing at the fact that Lelouch wouldn't be able to hurt a fly with his lack of upper arm strength.

Lelouch shouted at the top of his lungs, his hair dishevelled, eyes still a bit baggy from exhaustion, clothes wrinkled, only defining that Lelouch was in no way at all a threat to Suzaku's safety. Actually, Lelouch looked utterly ridiculous, holding throw pillows and desk lamps as his next objects to hurl at Suzaku's irritating face. He felt like a mad man, shouting curses and all the swear words he knew off the top of his head.

"Wipe that stupid grin off your face, you idiot!" Lelouch yelled, his eyes blinded by blurry colours, he couldn't think straight except to spout out what ever came off the top of his head. "You came here to rob us didn't you! Where's that C.C? Did she let you in? Why are you using my toothbrush, you moron! What the heck do you mean, you're living here? Get out of my house, you felon, you damn—"

"Lelouch-sama? What's going on? Did something happen to—who are you?" Sayoko had burst through the door upon hearing the commotion. Her hair was curled up neatly and she was wearing her maid uniform (even when Lelouch told her she could wear casual clothes, she was part of the family after all) proudly in tip-top condition. First impression suggested that she was a mild-mannered woman, what one would expect from a maid.

Still half-way in between the world of reality—trying to murder Suzaku—and dreams—trying to convince himself that he was hallucinating all of this—Lelouch merely blinked up sleepily at Sayoko, temporarily halting his rampaging.

Suzaku peered up at the maid with partial interest and partial distrust. He paused for a moment, guarded, and then spat out the foam from his mouth into the sink. Then he stared at Sayoko again with the same expression on his face. His eyes darted from the fuming (and tired) Lelouch to the stunned Sayoko. Then after some a moment's hesitation, Suzaku extended his hand cautiously, figuring that her reaction couldn't be as extreme as Lelouch's.

"Hi. I'm Suzaku—"

Before Suzaku could finish, Sayoko had changed her attire, throwing off her maid uniform to reveal a tight ninja jumpsuit underneath, decorated with shining knives and kunai. Suzaku gaped and before he could move, Sayoko had efficiently thrown several ninja stars at his face, all of which narrowly missed him, barely scrapping the side of his face and neck. The ninja stars were engrained dangerously thick into the bathroom tile wall.

Suzaku gaped at the recent attempt on his life and looked up at Lelouch, who seemed only mildly disturbed.

"Huh… first time she attacked an intruder within three seconds of meeting him…" Lelouch commented sleepily, returning back to his sleepy denial of Suzaku's appearance into his house.

"What are you doing in Lelouch-sama's bedroom?" Sayoko's stance was perfectly lethal, her hiss laced with poison and loyalty towards her charge.

Lelouch's eyes widened. That sounded so wrong…

She scanned the situation quickly—coming to the worst conclusion—seeing that there was a gun on the counter where the scrunched up tube of toothpaste was. Suzaku was holding Lelouch's toothbrush and wearing her master's clothes, to the side Lelouch seemed livid with a sleep-deprived mixed anger. Did he… did this strange man _do things_ to Lelouch before planning to…? Sayoko's bloodlust doubled, the kunoichi silently promised vengeance. She would not let Lelouch die.

Did _that man_ send you to finish the job that he couldn't? Well, I won't allow you to touch either of the Lamperouge siblings, Sayoko thought mercilessly.

In a flash, she was moving. She pulled out several knives, one between each of her fingers, darting quickly so that Suzaku wouldn't escape.

Lelouch's breath caught in his throat as he snapped out of his sleepy and angry stupor, realizing that Sayoko was intending to slit Suzaku's throat. His heart sped up as Lelouch abandoned all thought and rushed forward to stop this misunderstanding gone _very_ wrong.

"Sayoko-san, _stop…!_ " Lelouch grabbed desperately for the hem of her dress, which was wrapped around her shoulders, his fingers barely touching the fabric as he cried out, "He's not here to assassinate anyone, he's a friend—I just panicked and—"

There was a deafening crash as Sayoko fell over, her body toppling on top of poor Lelouch in an inelegant somersault. Lelouch yelped from the sudden weight on top of him as well as the compression of his lung, being unable to breathe. He wheezed, trying unsuccessfully to crawl out from the bottom of Sayoko's writhing form.

He looked up to meet the dangerously glinting eyes of Suzaku with slight shock. Privately, Lelouch didn't know if he should be glad that Suzaku was unharmed from his overprotective kunoichi maid or terrified that Suzaku was capable of overpowering his friend and bodyguard so easily. Suzaku had made it look effortless to block one of Sayoko's charges. But Lelouch knew it was not easy—an almost impossible feat—for Sayoko was an elite ninja, trained as one of the highest ranking martial artists in Japan.

Fighting had seemed natural to Suzaku, in a way that he could defend himself instinctively, without thinking, as if he had done so his whole life. Maybe, Lelouch mused, Suzaku got into a lot of fights as a biker in his Japanese gang. A small shiver involuntarily ran down Lelouch's spine when he saw Suzaku's eyes, instinctively growing dark as he eyed Sayoko, prepared to fight back if she should stand.

Stand up, Sayoko did, hardly ruffled at all by Suzaku's counterattack. She merely locked gazes with Suzaku, acknowledging his apparent fighting skills, prepared to throw more knives at him.

"Wait!" Lelouch pulled himself upwards, free from Sayoko's weight, "Stop! It's ok, just put the knives away!"

"There is no need to defend your pride, Lelouch-sama; I _know_ this man was trying to take advantage of you last night!"

Lelouch fell over, face entirely red. Suzaku had burst out laughing, holding his stomach, tears forming in his eyes. At this point, Lelouch really did hit him, hard in the stomach with a lamp.

"Sh-Shut up, idiot!" Lelouch spat out, his face still tinged pink. He turned to Sayoko and huffed, "No, he was doing no such thing. He's just a guy that I know from a coffee shop who has broken into our house."

"Then I see no reason not to use these," Sayoko raised her kunai again, face blank and ready to strike at Suzaku, who sobered up and took up a fighting stance of his own. The tension between the two was fierce. Lelouch knew he never wanted to fight either of them, or he'd probably lose… badly. "You have no permission to be in our home. You must leave _now_ for disturbing the peace."

"Who says I'm disturbing anything? I was minding my own business, I believe that throwing kunai however, would serve as a better example of _disturbing the peace_ ," Suzaku murmured low, taking on the persona of an unbeatable tough biker like he was putting on a second skin.

"You don't have what it takes to defeat me, boy."

"I've been in more battles than you can imagine… sensei."

"For god's sake, stop acting a bunch of mafia associates and put down your weapons! Yes, Sayoko, that means that knife and Suzaku, this isn't a freaking ally way, don't put your hand near that gun you brought with you!" Lelouch shouted at them, finally losing it.

Looking at it from his perspective, when your acquaintance-not-quite-friend shows up in your house claiming to live in it and your maid/bodyguard who was like family to you start to pull out knives and guns, threatening to kill each other in the middle of your bedroom over a silly misunderstanding at about six o' clock in the morning, you would be pretty livid yourself.

At the truly livid look on Lelouch's face, Suzaku and Sayoko, despite knowing that Lelouch could never really harm them in anyway, felt true fear in their veins and conceded without any argument. Sayoko dropped the kunai reluctantly on the floor.

Lelouch pinned them with his murderous gaze, seething with all of the passion of the fires of hell, "Alright, now let's go downstairs, like normal people, and have _Kururugi-san_ ," Suzaku flinched at the stoically polite use of his name, _"_ explain to us kindly what the hell he's doing in our home."

Suzaku shot a sour look at Sayoko, who was lightly smirking at him triumphantly.

* * *

Normally the kitchen area was serene and peaceful. With Lelouch and Sayoko taking turns cooking in the kitchen day to day, the surfaces and counters were always kept crystal clear, a pristine white without a speck of dirt or food on them. Both of them were perfectionists when it came to a clean kitchen, making sure that no mould or spills ever befouled the atmosphere. Light blue curtains added a nice touch to the white and royal blue tiled walls along with the vase of daffodils which Nunnally had picked with C.C. the other day. It was here that the 'family' would spend the most time together, making cranes at the wooden kitchen table peacefully, chatting over a cup of tea or enjoying one of Lelouch's or Sayoko's meals.

As soon as they had entered the kitchen through the living room stairs, the putrid smell of smoke ruined the nostalgic feel of the room. Lelouch whipped around to face Sayoko and Suzaku, his piercing glare meeting with the lighter that was held innocently in Suzaku's right thumb and the cigarette that was just a few inches away from his mouth. Suzaku blinked up at Lelouch a bit too innocently, popping the nicotine stick in between his lips with that same goddamn smile.

"What?" Suzaku blinked at him again; Lelouch wondered if it was just himself who was picturing Suzaku as a pouting puppy at the moment or if he was just feeling a tad bit insane this morning from the shock.

He hoped it was the latter.

With a quick swipe, Lelouch yanked the cigarette out of Suzaku's lips and waved it at him, "What is this?"

"…Um, a cigarette?"

"I know what this is; you don't need to tell me!"

"But you just asked—"

" _That was a rhetorical question, you buffoon!_ What the hell are you doing _smoking_ in _my_ house?" Lelouch swung the white cigarette in front of Suzaku's face, looking like the mad hatter with his murderous eyes, (At this point Sayoko was happily seating herself at the kitchen table, watching Suzaku get berated by Lelouch.), "This is a death trap, are you _trying_ to get cancer? And turn off that lighter; you'll start a fire in here!"

"But I get really really bad without a smoke; it's not nice to see. I kind of get nicotine cravings all the time. Smoking helps ease my nerves, you know?" Suzaku tried to explain weakly, eyeing his stolen cigarette with obvious longing. A puppy aching for his favourite squeaky toy.

Damn it Lelouch, he cursed himself, stop comparing people to adorable animals!

"Well, it _elevates_ my nerves, so goodbye Mr. Cigarette. God never liked you." Lelouch tossed the cigarette into the trash bin by Sayoko's side of the table.

Suzaku glared at Lelouch, wounded, and pulled out another cigarette, lit it and placed it in his mouth. When Lelouch tried to say something, Suzaku puffed a breath of smoke right in his face, making the pale boy wheeze, backing away to protect his lungs.

Ha, I win, Suzaku's smirk told Lelouch.

In the aftermath of his coughs, Lelouch cursed his tired brain and the fact that he had never considered that maybe Suzaku owned an endless supply of cigarette packs. He opened his mouth to speak again, but Suzaku merely blew more smoke in his direction. Lelouch coughed and scowled at infuriating smoker.

"Get that damn thing out of your mouth and tell us what the hell you're doing here, you bastard!" Lelouch was at wit's end, pissed beyond belief.

"You know, I could always get my kunai out," Sayoko pointed out cheerfully.

"…It's tempting, but I don't feel like washing blood out of the carpet later," Lelouch answered sarcastically.

"Pizza slice?" C.C., who had been sitting there for the whole time next to nine empty Pizza House boxes, offered the last slice to Lelouch as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening.

At this point, Lelouch was tempted to bang his head against the table, but he settled for staring at her blankly. "Do I look like I want a pizza slice, C.C.?"

Monotonously, C.C. said, "No."

"Then I don't want one," came the icy reply.

There was silence as the four occupants at the table stared at each other. Sayoko was humming happily to herself, sharpening the many knives concealed within her clothes for when Lelouch gave the order to gut the biker's heart. She obviously didn't trust the biker… at all. Understandable, really. C.C. ate the last of the pizza lazily, even though she was the sole cause of this awkward turn of events in the first place. Suzaku was sending glares to Sayoko and C.C. while smirking at Lelouch with his cigarette burning at the tip from his mouth, daring the boy to try and take it from him.

As for Lelouch, he was trying his hardest not to scream and break windows but to discuss the situation like a mature and fully capable adult. Deep breaths, he told himself, clenching his fists before relaxing each joint to look up at Suzaku's face.

"I'm not going to ask why you're here," Lelouch decided finally, surprising the other three at the table.

Sayoko had been hoping for an excuse to assassinate Kururugi on the spot, C.C. had wanted to see more of the aggravated Lelouch (perhaps the real motive in the first place?) while Suzaku had been expecting the long chore of explaining himself without revealing the entire truth of what exactly had happened to himself last night.

"Let's just get right to the point: I'm pissed, I'm tired and I have no patience whatsoever to deal with whatever is going on in your personal life at the moment," Lelouch deadpanned. "I don't know how you got past the security system, into the house and I don't care. Just get yourself freshened up, hang around for a bit, and get out of my house by the end of day, ok? Ok. Now I'll go eat breakfast and continue on with my life."

"Are you sure we can't just—"

"No, we're _not_ assassinating _guests_ , Sayoko-san." Lelouch called out, back to disinterest in his surroundings, now poking his head in the refrigerator for something to eat.

Disappointed, the maid cast a contempt-filled look at Suzaku before joining Lelouch in preparing the morning meal.

This left C.C. and Suzaku alone together.

"Well that was boring," C.C. commented blankly.

Suzaku glared at her, lowering his voice to a whisper so that Sayoko and Lelouch could not hear him, "You're the one who told me I could stay here, why didn't you stand up for me? Now where am I supposed to go?"

"It is of no concern of mine, I only gave you entrance into the house and told you that Lelouch would be sympathetic towards your cause, which I notice, you have failed to explain to him," C.C. replied as-a-matter-of-factly. "You figure it out."

"Is that what _you_ did?" Suzaku looked at her with disgust, "Play the _pity card_ and trick him into letting you stay here, away from Zero?"

"What does it matter?" came her disinterested reply, which revealed nothing.

Suzaku found his dislike of C.C. growing more and more as time went by. "I could always tell Lelouch here who's after you, what you've done to other innocent people…"

Something flashed in C.C.'s eyes, too quick for Suzaku to catch.

C.C. smiled up at him bitterly, calm, quiet iciness in her voice, "If you did that, you'd have to reveal your own dark connections to mine, and thus to Zero. Wouldn't want the public getting wind of Zero's existence before the black king has made his move, would you? Besides, you don't need _dear_ Lelouch to think badly of you because of your involvement in bloodshed, do you, Kururugi?"

She held his own icy gaze for a long time, before getting up and leaving him alone in his own thoughts and the smell of his cigarettes.

* * *

"Onii-sama, we're late for choir practice!"

The thin teenager stumbled out the door, kicking on his shoes and barely adjusting his black coat before jumping down the steps towards the small girl in the wheelchair who was waiting for him. As Lelouch looked at younger girl, his very aura calmed down into a gentle affection, shown by the special smile that he only reserved for the girl. His hand reached out to cup her smooth cheek and ruffle her long cinnamon locks with care before Lelouch clasped the handlebars on the back of the wheelchair, moving it out of the walkway to the sidewalk.

She was his sister, Nunnally—his precious younger sister. Nunnally gave a soft happy sigh as she heard her brother approach and give her the usual greeting. Slowly she reached up with her own hand and found Lelouch's on the wheelchair handle bars, to touch the smooth creases of her brother's skin, feeling secure with the familiarity. Nunnally smiled happily, knowing her brother was here now; everything would always be alright with her brother.

Nunnally pouted a bit, her amusement apparent as she said, "What took you so long, Onii-sama? You're always lecturing me about being punctual, and yet here you are, holding us up."

Lelouch laughed lightly; Nunnally loved hearing that laugh, to confirm that her brother was truly here, there with her, today. To the side, Nunnally heard Sayoko's skirt rustle. The maid was most likely carrying the binder of sheet music that Nunnally would require for today's practise. It was always most reassuring to hear and to touch, to affirm that this happiness wasn't ever going to disappear into the darkness.

He twisted his fingers to clasp hers tightly, Nunnally could practically feel him smiling down at her, the smile he only showed her and her alone. The smile that made her feel loved and pampered from the person she loved most.

"Sorry, Nunnally, I had to deal with an unexpected guest today. Not to worry though, he'll be leaving shortly this afternoon," Lelouch told her.

Her curiosity piqued a little at the news. She craned her neck up to hear Lelouch's comforting voice a little better. "A guest? Was that the cause of the commotion in your room this morning?"

It had been surprising to hear her usually docile and somewhat stoic brother swearing so loudly in his room. Having woken up on time, unlike Lelouch who adored sleeping in 15 minutes in, Nunnally nearly had a heart attack when she had heard crashes and other disturbing noises from Lelouch's bedroom. She had been in the middle of changing into her clothes. Distressed for her brother's condition, she had called out to Sayoko to check up on Lelouch, but of course the maid had already gone the instant she had heard the crashes. After a long silence, which Nunnally had not known meant good or bad news, Sayoko returned, assuring Nunnally that her brother was unharmed, helping her get into her wheelchair.

The embarrassment and worry in Lelouch's voice gave away his facial expressions. Nunnally could picture the blush plain across his pale face as well as the startled look in his violet orbs. Another one of those times where Nunnally wished she could open her eyes and just see her brother's face again, the seventeen year old face, instead of the eight year old one she always ended up reverting back to for reference.

God was cruel sometimes. Was it too much to ask for, to be able to see again? Wasn't it enough that she was crippled? Not for the first time, Nunnally buried her negative emotions within herself, only expressing her love for her brother. She didn't need to weigh anyone down with her own personal woes. She could only smile and endure it, hoping that God wouldn't take anything else away from her if she stayed a good girl.

"I'm sorry, Nunnally, did I wake you up?" Lelouch asked her as he pushed the wheelchair down the gritty sidewalk, she could feel each tiny bump as the the mobile wheels turned; Lelouch's voice was always sincere with her. "I didn't mean too, I just kind of lost my temper when our guest... dropped in. He's a bit... different."

That probably explained the uncomfortable smell of cigarettes when she had passed by the kitchen this morning, Sayoko being very assertive in getting Nunnally out of the house as soon as possible.

"I'm guessing he isn't one of the student council members, I don't recall there being another boy besides Rivalz and you Onii-sama," Nunnally mused out loud. "Is he your friend?"

Sayoko paused slightly in her steps, curious.

"Well...," Lelouch said carefully, "we're acquainted. I see him at the coffee shop I go to every morning, and he's taken the habit in the past few months of talking to me."

A rustle above her head, told her that Arthur had followed Lelouch out of the house again, perched on Lelouch's shoulder. The cat enjoyed trailing her brother everywhere, like a lost duckling. He had stopped complaining about it weeks ago, giving up.

Nunnally smiled softly, "You sound like friends to me."

Lelouch grunted quietly, and Nunnally took that as a reluctant yes. Honestly, she sometimes thought of Lelouch as the softie between the two siblings, never openly admitting his true feelings unless they had to do with her.

No one else was closer to Lelouch than her, Nunnally always let herself soar on that feeling.

"Why was he here this morning?" Nunnally asked him. "It's rather early to be visiting." The amusement was there in her voice.

For a minute, Lelouch was silent, and the silence unsettled her for a bit. Hearing nothing, feeling nothing, all of that unsettled her, but none more so than hearing nothing from Lelouch. Speak, she thought to herself after several minutes passed, please speak.

"I... I guess I never asked...," his soft whisper barely reaching her ears.

She hadn't heard him talk so softly since... since _that day_. Slight alarm rang through her head, her world of black.

Was this 'guest' truly that different?

"Onii-sama?" Her voice gave away her slight panic.

She felt him smile that special smile, reserved for her alone. She felt him tighten his fingers around hers reassuringly, felt him breathe slowly.

"Don't worry about it, Nunnally. I'm fine."

That was all the reassurance Nunnally needed to know that he was there.

* * *

"Nuna-chan is so cute, Lulu," Shirley gushed with awe, watching the blind and paralysed girl in the front row of the church benches, reviewing a hymn with a small group of girls her age. The Ashford Middle School Choir was made up of about two dozen girls from ages ranging from eleven to fifteen, always part of the musical processions at weekly masses and occasionally competing at prestigious musical competitions in Area 11.

They usually practised singing each Saturday in St. Lumiere's Church—the patron saint of Ashford Academy, for the religious. If you were atheist, like Lelouch, it mattered little who St. Lumiere was. Lelouch did appreciate the elegant architecture of the Victorian style church, with it's pillars and detailed paintings of angels and demons, the marble walls and floors. He liked the stained glass windows with their rainbow hues, shining down onto the floor. But what Lelouch liked the most about the church, if anything at all, was the Japanese-made grand piano which stood to the side of the altar, to the opposite of the benches on the other side where the girls were practising and currently socializing.

The one thing that Lelouch had always admired about the Japanese was the beautiful craftsmanship with which their pianos were manufactured. To him, no other countries could compare in making such wonderful instruments. It was shame that Britannia forbid Japanese (Elevens, to all Britannians) from manufacturing any more pianos, only importing instruments from the so called great and holy homeland. That order disgusted Lelouch, an obvious attempt at assimilating Japanese culture, destroying it, erasing it forever. Another thing to take away that the Japanese had always taken pride in.

He was grateful that Milly and her grandfather had insisted on keeping this grand piano.

The girls were at break time, in the middle of choir practice. Most of the girls were polite to Nunnally, making small jokes with her, but Nunnally's closest friend, to Lelouch's knowledge, was Alice. Alice was a small lithe girl who enjoyed pushing Nunnally in her wheelchair during school; she had long blonde hair and colourful eyes. Lelouch trusted Alice to take care of Nunnally for him when he couldn't. He and Alice got along quite well.

Not really paying much attention to the assistant choir master, Shirley Fenette, his disinterest was shown as he played with Arthur, waving his blue ball point pen in front of the cat, watching the cat swipe forward eagerly with his paws. The red-head, Shirley stopped talking and put her hands on her hips with a frown. She leaned over and tapped Lelouch on the skull, not so lightly.

"Lulu!" Shirley frowned deeper, "You should pay attention when I'm talking to you. I'm not even lecturing you this time."

Lelouch rubbed the spot absentmindedly; he smiled contently at the cat in his lap. "Look, Arthur finally got the pen from me."

Shirley rolled her eyes, "Oh Lulu, you and that cat."

"What?" He puffed up his thin chest indignantly.

Shirley's mirth only increased, causing her to burst out laughing. "Never mind, Lulu. I'll leave this alone from you only for today."

Which, in Shirley speak, meant that she would probably gossip about this to the damnable woman Milly Ashford later. Lelouch glared at Arthur who only mewled up at him. These strays were going to get him stuck into some insufferable scheme plotted up by none other than Milly herself one of these days. And he was guessing that he wouldn't like it.

Knowing better than to throw Arthur off his lap unless the cat wanted to get off, Lelouch merely huffed and directed his attention towards the girls. Sayoko was chatting with the choir master, Shirley's mother, while she passed out the new sheet music for this week's new composition. Shirley gave a small gasp and skipped down the aisle to join the others.

"See you, Lulu," Shirley waved to him, getting ready for the second half of practise to start.

He nodded at her in response, a small wave of his hand to indicate that he had understood. Arthur snuggled up on to his lap, curling up into a ball to slumber. The cat was fond of taking naps on Lelouch's lap, for what ever reason, making it hard to move the cat off of him without getting clawed when Lelouch needed to get up and go somewhere. Silently, he hoped that the cat wouldn't take another humungous slumber again. He wanted to go and stretch his legs soon.

Then, as he was busy musing, the choir master raised her voice and the Ashford Middle School Choir began to sing sweet music to his ears. Visibly relaxing against the oak furnished bench in the empty congregation, Lelouch leaned back and just listened.

He loved music. More than anything.

One of the things that Nunnally and Lelouch shared was a passion for music, be it classical, tradition, church or just a simple tune. Nunnally was the singer, the one who got involved in music openly. Lelouch suspected that it filled a void for her that her blindness had left open. But for Lelouch, music was more personal, intimate. He kept his awe for it hidden, playing the piano in the house whenever he was alone... and for other reasons.

Coming to Nunnally's practises always washed his troubles away, allowed him to melt into a place that was neither here or there, a place where he wasn't a Britannian hiding from his father, where his mother had never died, where Nunnally had never been condemned to a wheelchair. It was a place where the world was perfect and anew, leaving him in peace.

Lelouch smiled to himself, letting the rest of the world fade away as he did what he always did at Nunnally's choir practises—enjoy the music.

They were singing one of the more famous songs—Ave Maria, in a procession of sopranos and altos, making one float away on the rush of voices. Marianne, Lelouch's mother, used to sing it often. It was one of Nunnally's favourites to go through at home, to Lelouch it sounded like an ascension of angels. A very peaceful yet heart wrenching piece. The entire church acted as the body of an instrument, resonating within the very chorus of voices.

"I hate it."

The abrupt interruption came from Lelouch's left. Opening his eyes slowly, Lelouch saw a young boy around Nunnally's age who was standing in the aisle by Lelouch. The boy hadn't made a sound coming in, his footsteps as silent as a fallen angel's steps. Upon closer scrutiny, Lelouch thought that the boy looked like a masculine version of Nunnally, with the same cinnamon coloured hair and violet eyes.

There was of course several differences between this boy and his sister, the boy's skin was certainly fairer and the boy's eyes... were a thousand degrees colder. Right now, the boy was watching his sister's choir with a fierce arctic coldness that made even Lelouch shiver a bit. This boy just radiated creepiness, and Lelouch hadn't even heard him walk in.

"What's there to hate?" Lelouch felt a bit irritated that the boy thought so low of Nunnally's music.

The boy didn't even glance at him, making no sign that he had heard Lelouch speak at all. Lelouch frowned.

Fine, if the boy didn't want to answer, it wasn't his business to pry.

But surprisingly enough, the boy had pinned him with a frigid connection of stares. "Everything. It sounds pointless."

Lelouch tilted his head curiously at the boy's dead and emotionless aura. "Pointless? How so?"

"I do not understand the purpose of this noise. Many other targets gather together to partake in these ritual-like gatherings to make noises such as this... but it does them no advantage whatsoever." The boy explained blandly, his voice as emotionless as everything else about him. "I feel nothing from it."

A snort made the boy's head turn sharply to stare condescendingly at Lelouch, who wasn't going to wipe the smirk off of his face any time soon.

The boy's eyes narrowed sharply, growing colder by a few more degrees. "You... find that _funny?_ "

Still smirking, Lelouch straightened himself up, forgetting Arthur was on his lap. As he stood up, the cat yowled and dug his claws into Lelouch's lap, making Lelouch curse slightly and stay put, refraining from his decision to stand up. Instead, Lelouch merely looked back at the boy, unaffected by the cold depth he saw there.

"This isn't noise, boy, this is _music_ ," Lelouch couldn't stop the warmth from entering his voice as he lectured the kid, his hand reaching out in an unnecessary hand gesture.

"There is little differ-"

"But there is. You just hadn't figured it out. Do you want to know the difference between mere noise and mere music?" Lelouch asked the boy.

If possible, the boy's eyes went even colder.

But Lelouch continued, "The difference is... we, because we are human, interpret music according to our own souls. The difference between noise and music, is soul." When he saw that the boy was still staring at him coldly, Lelouch shrugged, "We play _because_ we have souls. That's why we play music. So we can feel."

"...That is illogical." Lelouch's speech had done little to crack through the boy's icy exterior.

Lelouch merely turned away and stared wistfully stained glass windows above the altar, the sound of the uplifting Ave Maria surrounding him and the boy.

"I suppose it is. But it doesn't change the fact that it's why I feel." Lelouch smiled softly at the boy, "You should try playing an instrument someday, and maybe you'll understand. I bet you could be a great musician, you just haven't used your full potential yet."

The boy turned away quickly, and Lelouch was a bit amused to see a tinge of pink on the boy's face before that. So, the cold boy had a warmer side after all.

"Why don't you come back, next week?" Lelouch offered, "The choir practises every Saturday. You don't have to do anything. Just listen. Maybe you'll learn to appreciate some of the choir pieces by then."

Coldly the boy replied, "I have no reason to."

This prompted another laugh from Lelouch, "When you feel like it, then."

Without a word, the boy strode out of the church, as quietly as when he had first entered.

It came as no surprise to Lelouch to learn, at the end of Nunnally's choir practise, that no one had seen the boy at all. It was as if the boy hadn't even existed in the first place.

* * *

"That smell... is it your friend from this morning, Onii-sama?" Nunnally questioned him, as he pushed her wheelchair up their home walkway.

A whiff of smoke had met their noses. The garage door was open, and a shining white motorcycle was inside.

"He's a biker, I see," Sayoko commented, disapproving.

Lelouch sent a small glare which she ignored easily. Nothing seemed to faze that maid of his except danger to himself or Nunnally, which she perceived as the form of Suzaku.

Nunnally gave a small delighted gasp, "How exciting. He rides a bike everywhere?"

"No, Nunnally-sama, he doesn't ride a bicycle... Kururugi's a Japanese Gangster. He rides a motorcycle," Sayoko explained cheerfully, knowing that this was irking Lelouch the more she spoke of Suzaku. "The statistics show that 85% of Area 11's gangsters commonly carry a knife and gut people for their money. The statistics also show that gangsters have a habit of _killing innocent people_ such as your _brother_."

"How horrible! This Kururugi-san wouldn't really hurt you, would he, Onii-sama?" Nunnally's voice was hysterical with the thought of her brother being in any danger.

Shooting a glare at Sayoko, who was obviously being too overprotective for her own good, Lelouch brushed his hand on Nunnally's hair gently, "Those statistics are biased, Nunnally. Suzaku wouldn't hurt a fly."

Though Lelouch had his doubts about that.

Sayoko's smile widened when she saw Lelouch's flicker of doubt. He glared at her again. That maid was too good at her mind games. He shuddered to think of what measures Jeremiah would go through if he were home 24/7 in order to keep his 'precious prince and princess' safe from the outside world. Thank goodness that man worked on an orange farm during the day and often didn't come home during the daytime, only in the evening and overnight, or Lelouch would never be able to skip school with the ease he did now. Or do anything at all.

Arthur, perched on the top of Lelouch's head, mewled once again—his ever present and annoying chaperone. The cat lifted his paws and ran towards the house, scooting through the small cat door made especially for him. It seemed like the cat had grown hungry again, which was one of the only reasons why Arthur would ever consider leaving Lelouch's side. That feline was a plain stalker.

Lelouch turned back towards Sayoko.

"Why don't you take Nunnally inside the house, Sayoko-san? I'll see Suzaku off," Lelouch told them both.

"If he does _anything_ suspicious to you, I'll be out with my—"

"Yes, Sayoko-san, I know you'll stab him with your kunai...," Lelouch drawled lazily, brushing her off with his hand. "I'll be fine."

With that, he walked over to the garage which normally housed Jeremiah's orange truck overnight, where Suzaku's white and shiny motorcycle was parked. Cigarette smoke met Lelouch's nose in an onslaught. Lelouch wrinkled his nose, trying not to think about the bad memories which came with the smell as he searched for Suzaku.

The biker was busy packing up his single duffel bag with his newly washed clothes and a towel. There was nothing else in his possession, Lelouch noted, and for some reason it bothered him.

"You didn't bring anything else with you?" Lelouch enquired just over Suzaku's shoulder.

Suzaku whirled around, arm moving for a punch. Lelouch yelped and stepped back before Suzaku's fist stopped just mere millimetres in front of his nose, looking up to see Suzaku's shocked emerald eyes.

The biker grabbed Lelouch's trembling hands and shook his head repeatedly, "Oh my god, I'm so sorry! It was a reflex, I swear! I didn't mean to—well didn't I guess, but—Oh god, I could've seriously hurt you. Holy shit. I'm sorry. I'm _really_ sorry. I didn't... I'm sorry."

"Suzaku, shut up." Lelouch's witty remark rounded up. He breathed in slowly, letting his heart calm down a bit.

"I'm so sorry, Lelouch, I didn't mean to—"

"Stop apologizing!" Lelouch snapped at him, "You're giving me a migraine. It was an accident, that's great. Let's move on in our lives, shall we?"

Nodding slowly, his devastated eyes making Lelouch wonder how _anyone_ could ever be scared of this guy when he acted like such an adorable (No, Lelouch did not think Suzaku was cute. At all.) idiot all of the time.

What was more annoying was the way Suzaku was hovering over Lelouch, fretting over his sudden reflexes and making a big deal over Lelouch's safety. Seriously, was this guy really a tough violent gangster or not? Sometimes Lelouch wondered if he had some sort of split personality: one was the puppy-like Suzaku who chain-smoked; the other was the more intimidating battle-addicted gangster Suzaku who _also_ chain-smoked.

Lovely, Lelouch thought sarcastically.

"Right, so, um," Suzaku fumbled with his sunglasses, his cigarette hanging from between his chapped lips, hand in between his chestnut curls.

"...I was asking you if that was all you brought with you..."

"Oh yeah, thanks Lelouch," Suzaku literally glowed at him. Lelouch's glare did not shift. "I don't have a lot of belongings... you know how it is..." Suzaku's eyes darkened with an intense loathing, "with _Britannia_ and all that _Eleven_ shit."

It was silent as Lelouch stared uncomfortably at Suzaku, shame directed towards himself for being insensitive to the obvious problem and towards his country for enforcing such monstrous racism.

Lelouch had always known that the Japanese (Elevens) were treated less than human in Area 11. He had seen such treatment in Shinjoku whenever he passed by the ghetto with Rivalz. Lelouch always tried to break up any conflicts between Britannians and Japanese, even when the odds were against him. Nunnally, Sayoko and Jeremiah would always lecture him about it when he came home with dark bruises or broken limbs because he stuck his nose somewhere he shouldn't have. But Lelouch couldn't help it. It was part of his _prideful_ nature to step in (or if you wanted to believe Sayoko's words, _kind-hearted_.).

But Lelouch didn't see himself as kind or merciful. He saw himself as just as guilty as other Britannians, guilty of being unable to change the world or views of the other Britannians who lived in this country with him. He saw himself just as guilty, just as disgusting, for their crimes.

He could even see the visible hatred Suzaku held for Britannia, the way Suzaku spoke, the intensity in his eyes behind the sunglasses if you stood close enough to look. It made Lelouch wonder again, why Suzaku didn't treat _him_ with the same hatred that Suzaku obviously felt.

I'm just as bad as other Britannians..., Lelouch thought to himself, I didn't listen to what he had to say, did I? He probably has good reason to be over. He could be in a lot of trouble.

"What happened to you, anyways? Why were you in my bedroom this morning?" Lelouch asked him casually.

Suzaku blinked up at him curiously, "You wanna know?"

"Might as well hear it."

"You didn't seem interested this morning..." Suzaku pointed out, sceptical.

Huffing, Lelouch retorted, "I was tired and angry. I had a right to be, you know. It's not every day someone sneaks into your house in the _middle of the night_ , puts on _your clothes_ and _uses your toothbrush._ "

"...Your clothes are comfy, they smell nice."

"... _Suzaku._ "

"What?"

"Just tell me what goddamned happened to you."

The biker grinned at him and blew another puff of smoke into Lelouch's face, which didn't make Lelouch any happier.

"Well... I guess you could say that I couldn't pay the rent. The landlord was getting really pissed off when I gave him excuses; I told him I'd pay soon as soon as Ze—I mean, I soon as I found a new job. But when... some more gang stuff happened, the landlord got fed up and kicked me out of my apartment, telling me never to quote 'bring my sorry ass back here again'," Suzaku recited with some omissions.

For some reason, Lelouch didn't feel too surprised about this. But he still had questions. "How come you didn't just go and stay with one of your biker friends...? Ohgi or Tamaki?"

The biker took another drag off his cigarette.

"Don't get me wrong or anything, Lelouch. This isn't the first time that I've been kicked out of board and room. I've stayed over at their places for too many times than I can care to count. I was just a bother to them. Ohgi has to deal with his day job; he has a girlfriend and an important position within our gang. Tamaki has a lot of younger siblings to take care of. They're as well off as I am, barely able to pay off the bills for their homes. I'd just be another burden to take care of," Suzaku explained, not quite looking at Lelouch, but instead, bitterly looking at his duffel bag. "A lot of my gang are in the same boat."

The knowledge burned in Lelouch's heart like a wild fire. The world just wasn't fair.

It was common knowledge the Japanese (Elevens) were barely making it by. It didn't make it any easier for Lelouch to contain his own silent angry at their treatment. And it didn't take Lelouch's burning shame away.

Suzaku really had no place to stay.

Seconds later, Lelouch asked smoothly, "Then why'd you show up in my house?"

"C.C. let me in," Suzaku spat out sourly, his cigarette smouldering. "She found me sitting in front of my... well, what was my apartment building. She suggested that I stay at your place... she said you wouldn't mind." He looked sheepishly at Lelouch, "Guess she lied, huh?"

The biker tentatively peeked at Lelouch's face, to see his reaction.

Lelouch's violet eyes were not looking at him. They were drifting off to the corner, as the young Britannian student was deep in thought. Suzaku sighed. Maybe he'd said too much, made Lelouch uncomfortable.

"...I don't mind." Lelouch said quietly.

Maybe he shouldn't have come, even if he had an attachment to the violet-eyed boy he couldn't—wait, had Lelouch just...?

Suzaku's cigarette dropped to the floor in a dull thud. Lelouch blinked at it, about to tell the biker off for dropping sparking cigarette butts like a litter bug when he was jerked upwards. The biker had stepped forward and gripped Lelouch's shoulders firmly, forcing him to look up at his face.

It burned to look up at those intense green eyes, which were hesitantly filled with that strange look that only Suzaku gave him, all over again. Lelouch felt his heart skip a beat, the garage was getting too hot... and the door was open.

"You... you mean...?"

The thin student pushed his way with difficulty out of Suzaku's grip, scowling at him, "Yes, you can stay Suzaku, but only until you find another place to live in, ok?"

That annoying smile of Suzaku's was getting slightly infectious. Lelouch had already begun damning it to the deepest pits of hell along with the darkening cigarette butt on the floor. Before Suzaku could speak up, Lelouch cut in.

"There is one catch, you can not smoke in my house," Lelouch pointed at him dramatically, "or you really will be out in the streets, I don't care. You better not upset my family, either or I'll kill you!"

Suzaku just nodded happily and went along with it, his enthusiasm nearly overflowing from his body and soul. He did laugh a bit at Lelouch's threat, as if the thin boy could actually kill him. Maybe if he had a gun, but Suzaku doubted Lelouch owned one.

Giving a hefty sigh, Lelouch rested his fingers against his forehead, "Now I've just got to smooth things over with Sayoko-san, Jeremiah-kun... my sister Nunnally..."

"Oh thank you Lelouch!" Suzaku beamed, scooping the protesting teenager up in a massive bear hug, spinning the irritated boy around in circles. He was unable to contain his joy at the opportunity to be living with the boy who he had grown an attachment too.

"P-put me down, Suzaku before I change my mind!" Lelouch hollered from the top of his lungs.

"Thank you so much, you are so wonderful!"

Apparently Suzaku wasn't listening.

"Suzaku, I said, put me down!" Lelouch yelled at the top of his lungs.

"I don't wanna!"

"Do you want me to regret letting you stay?"

"...Not listening!"

" _Suzaku!_ "

"A ha!" Sayoko had burst through the door, ninja outfit in hand, "You have decided to try and defile Lelouch-sama yet again, Kururugi! Prepare yourself!"

... And the battle of Sayoko vs. Suzaku with Lelouch stuck in the middle began yet again. As Lelouch was dropped to the floor, finally, he found his life in mortal danger (all these death threats kept starting because of that damned Suzaku!) as several kunai narrowly missed his head (Sayoko had been aiming for Suzaku, but he had deflected them somehow.).

" _Could you stop throwing kunais in the house!_?"

Never mind, Lelouch was already regretting it.

* * *

Outside a skyscraper-like apartment, a young boy sat in front of a lamp post, watching cars go past all of the soaring business buildings, people who were chatting and carrying shopping bags walk by, the various sales in the near by shops. The boy's emotionless eyes hardly flickered; he kept his scarf close to his face.

Rolo was waiting for his partner Gino Weinberg to tell him to kill Suzaku Kururugi. After hearing about Anya's death, Rolo had felt a slight pang in his heart. Was it sadness? He believed so. He hadn't minded the girl. She hadn't bothered him with any useless emotions, focused on her objectives. Somehow, Rolo missed that. He wouldn't mind paying the one who killed Anya off back in blood at all. It would only be another mission—just with the bonus of closure.

Human beings were mere objects to Rolo, targets to shoot down. The sight of blood didn't bother him any more.

_It used to. Rolo used to scream every time he saw blood. He wouldn't stop screaming. His uncle found a solution though. His uncle beat him until he went silent at the sight of all that red._

Since then, he had abandoned the need for mere emotions. Baggage that got in the way of a perfectly logical decision. To push the knife in, or to not push the knife in. It was more intimate that way, using a knife.

_His uncle had used a knife once too._

Everyone he met was just a possible target.

_Especially anyone who beat their kids._

A flicker of violet passed his eyes, and Rolo was reminded of the smiling face of the boy at the church. The boy who talked about souls and music. The boy who had smiled at him, hadn't be scared of him. The boy who thought Rolo had potential to play music.

" _Do you think a brat like you could ever play_ music _? All you're good for is fucking up people's lives!"_

" _As a killer, you should abandon any silly dreams you have of becoming a musician. It will only weigh you down, like your emotions. Get rid of them."_

" _I'll kill you, by smashing your beloved cello against your head!"_

_He bowed his head down, looking at the corpse at his feet and his bloodied cello. He would never play again._

But...

" _Come back next week."_

Rolo wanted to see that boy again. Rolo wanted to hear him talk about music again. Rolo… wanted to come back and hear that boy laugh again.

Was this normal?

In his head, the melody of Ave Maria wouldn't fade, no matter how much Rolo shook his head, trying to cloud his thoughts over with a blank slate.

Music has soul, that boy had said.

Assassins didn't have souls.


	3. Chapter 2: Interview

A small silver coin flipped in between the long gloved fingers of the masked man.

Whenever C.C. thought of the man, this particular memory would always stand out. The coin. The masked man. Her.

The coin was nothing [special](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5321256/3/Walk_On_In) from first glance. The symbol of Britannia was etched on the front of the coin and on the back was a number 'one' embroidered with wings and a wreath of leaves. This was a normal Britannian penny from the homeland, made in 1999.

But when she looked closer, she could remember seeing that it wasn't a normal Britannian penny.

On the tails side of the coin where the symbol of Britannia was supposed to be, someone had scratched a picture over it. A blooming rose was etched over the symbol of Britannia, detailed and precise to each drooping petal. On the other side of the coin, the initials 'M.L.' were scratched firmly over the bolded number one.

Flickering in the dim lights from the lamp on the desk, the silver coin flipped again in the air, twirling with no care in the world. The coin landed in the gloved hand of the masked man before being thrown back into the air once more, a trapeze artist who never had to stop his routine.

She remembered watching him do this every night, the same thing in the same manner, with the same careful obsession. This was his ritual, his prayer and his solace.

The masked man did nothing but sit at his desk, legs crossed, twirling the silver coin in his fingers again and again with a certain kind of grace. If one looked closer, one could see how the man's fingers were very careful with the coin, as if it would break in any moment. The reverence that the masked man seemed to treat the coin with was very bizarre.

But C.C. [knew](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5321256/3/Walk_On_In) better.

The coin was the masked man's most precious possession.

Nothing mattered more to him—not Area 11 (Japan), not Britannia, not the Royal family, not even his revenge—than this one simple silver coin.

How did she know this? It was simple. She noticed how he would never go without it, how he would never let anyone—not even her—touch it, how he whispered to it when he thought she wasn't listening… when he thought she was asleep.

The coin meant something important to him.

But what?

C.C. remembered not caring, never bothering to ask or find out. She only knew one particular thing about that coin and part of what it meant to the masked man.

For Zero, who meant nothing, was nothing, was supposed to be nothing… this coin proved that he was _something_.

The coin was proof that he existed.

**Walk On In**

**-2- Interview**

"Zero, what are we going to do about the recent Holy Assassins attack?"

The Black Knights, a mere Japanese (Eleven) gang that prowled the Shinjuku ghetto and Tokyo settlement with their bikes, were gathered in a spacious abandoned warehouse. This had long been their meeting spot, a place that Naoto had first found for them all. The Black Knights weren't very well known, doing typical biker things together: riding motorcycles, going to bars, getting drunk (only some of them), smuggling weapons and getting into conflicts with the neighbouring gangs in the vicinity.

In a time where Britannia controlled over a third of the world's human-inhabited land, and was turning its attention to other neutral countries in which to expand it's territory, they were a mere Japanese (Eleven) biker gang in Area 11.

Of course, mere gangs didn't have hidden agendas of liberating Japan from its shameful label of a number, did they? Mere gangs didn't go around selling guns and artillery illegally, encouraging acts of terrorism (freedom) against their oppressive empire Britannia. Mere gangs didn't occasionally hack into the Britannian military systems and steal military prototypes which they were now using. Mere gangs didn't have a charismatic masked leader giving out miraculous dreams, reachable realities. Mere gangs didn't have their names whispered in the dark by thousands in the ghetto, out of—not fear—but hope.

Were they even a mere gang anymore?

At the present, dealing with a reminder of their old lives, they were.

"Yeah, they've been our greatest rivals in the Tokyo Settlement and the Shinjuku Ghetto for ages. Their special corps has killed off a lot of our people," Ohgi, off to the side of the warehouse, addressed the enigmatic masked leader who was standing on a mountain of crates in the abandoned warehouse.

Their number had dwindled over the years from over twenty bikers to a mere ten, not including Zero. It was because of the killers—Anya and Gino—who had killed many of their friends before they could even begin to realize Zero's dream.

"It's unacceptable," Kallen seethed, the red-head's fists were clenched by her side. "That pink-haired girl Anya killed my Oni-chan when he was on a smuggling job… then her blond partner killed Inoue and Yoshida. I won't forgive them. I won't overlook their attack on Suzaku either."

"You tell him, Kallen!" Tamaki punched his fist into the air. "Those two killers are a pain in the ass! What are we going to do to them, Zero?"

Similar sentiments were murmured amongst the other gang members who were present; all gathered in a small group around the crates that Zero stood silently upon.

Just as silently, Zero raised a gloved hand, signalling for silence. His presence always commanded absolute obedience and respect; it was a spell that compelled people to follow. The way Zero carried himself, his very charismatic actions and words, made them believe that they could do anything with him leading the way.

Now, from behind the black empty mask, Zero spoke.

"I understand that this threat can no longer be tolerated if we are to move on in my dream to liberate Japan from its cruel oppressor, the Holy Empire of Britannia. They have spilled our comrades' blood and that, in itself, is excuse enough to swear revenge. But please, my friends," Zero continued, a hand waved in a mock bow, "remember what it was that Naoto, Inoue and Yoshida sacrificed their lives for. They will be avenged—I can guarantee it—by the assigned avengers."

The masked man, sat down on the crate, one long leg placed on his knee as he pulled out a piece of worn parchment. Curiously, the members of the Black Knights gathered around closer to take a look at the peculiar piece of yellowed parchment, glimpsing the curly words of ink written upon it only briefly. Casually, Zero tossed the parchment to Ohgi first and told him to read it out loud for all to hear.

Ohgi shrugged, used to Zero's strange antics and straightened the piece of parchment in front of his face to read aloud, "To the gang known as The Black Knights: As you are painfully aware, we targeted one of your aces Suzaku Kururugi last night at his apartment. I'll let you know bluntly that we failed to kill him. In fact, he succeeded in killing my beloved partner Anya—"

A few gasps and a couple of cheers rang out at this bit of news but as soon as Zero raised his hand, all went silent. Ohgi took that as a sign to continue on.

"—in cold blood. I will not forgive you, Suzaku Kururugi, for taking her from me. I demand that Suzaku Kururugi and Kallen Kouzuki come to meet my remaining partner Rolo and myself in a duel to the death at the abandoned Sakuradite docks at 7 pm next week, or we will assassinate the entire gang known as the Black Knights—not a member spared—"

"How dare they?" Kallen shouted.

"They're obviously going to kill us all anyways!"

Again, Zero silenced them.

"—nor any of their family members. I will finish the mission that my partner and I were sent out to do. If you refuse to meet my demands, I _will_ come and kill you all. I _will_ have my revenge. You _will_ regret killing my partner Anya...," Ohgi finished with a weary voice that trailed off as soon as the last words written died off.

If it had been silent before, it was dead silent now.

"Well, you can see the problem," Zero said airily, brushing his cape off to the side as it swished behind him, "and the solution here."

"We're going to go and meet them?" Minami asked incredulously.

"Not 'we'. Kallen and Suzaku will go and meet them as arranged," Zero went on, dampening their rising fears. "Seeing as Suzaku was capable of taking on both of the Holy Assassin's special corps, survived to tell the tale _and_ got rid of one of the assassins himself, I doubt that they will be a match against _both_ our aces. Gino Weinberg is overestimating his own vengeance. This Holy Assassins problem will resolve on its own as of next week."

Zero's words eased the concerns of most of the gang members, whose demeanours brightened upon hearing the radiating confidence from their leader's mask.

Grinning like an idiot, Tamaki punched Kallen on the shoulder playfully, "You heard the boss, Kallen! You'll show those Britannian Dogs who really owns the streets!"

Kallen smirked, her own confidence feeding on Zero's hidden praise of her talents. "Of course I will." She returned Tamaki's punch with twice the strength, her eyes darkening as she did so, "I'll crush that Weinberg to avenge Naoto Oni-chan if it's the last thing I do."

The only one who seemed uncomfortable with all of this was Ohgi. The former teacher fidgeted from side to side nervously at first, but when he heard Kallen's proclamation, his emotions spilled out as plain as day.

"Wait, Kallen, I don't think it's a good idea for you to face those two killers alone," Ohgi looked around at the others for help. "You could get hurt, and I don't think Naoto would be pleased if you got injured for his sake."

She whirled around to face him, furious. "You don't think I can pull it off, Ohgi?"

Ohgi faltered, realizing that those were the wrong words to say. He quickly composed himself and shook his head, "No, that's not what I meant at all."

Her harsh features softened.

"Stop worrying about me, Ohgi," Kallen turned away from him, her stance firm. "I'll kill Weinberg. That is a promise."

"But—"

"It's all cool, right Zero?" Tamaki sported his usual cocky manner and slapped Ohgi on the back, "Suzaku will be with her."

"Indeed. I have faith that they will be able to defeat the remaining Assassins." Zero agreed with Tamaki, for once.

Helplessly, Ohgi's shoulders slumped.

Knowing that Suzaku would be with Naoto's little sister didn't bring much comfort to Ohgi at all. It wasn't as if Suzaku wasn't capable of defending her and himself, should they need it. It was just... that Ohgi never felt right since Naoto died in the line of duty. He felt, as Naoto's best friend, that he had the responsibility of looking out for Kallen's best interests. Suzaku was just a young teenager, the same age as Kallen. The second ace of the Black Knights could get just as reckless as Kallen herself when it came to getting into fights.

Speaking of Suzaku...

He blinked, "Where is Suzaku anyways?"

"His landlord kicked him out... again. This time, for good, I think," Minami cut in. "Suzaku called in last night to let us know that he's arranging to find a place to live, so he won't be with us today."

"Is that so...," Ohgi mused, suddenly feeling guilty for thinking so negatively of the boy when Suzaku was in a tight spot at the moment. Usually in these situations, Suzaku refused to lean on Ohgi or Tamaki for housing unless it was an absolute emergency. Most likely, the boy was sleeping out in an ally under a cardboard box.

It wouldn't be the first time.

He and Kallen exchanged glances with Tamaki. The three of them would check up on Suzaku later and force him under one of their roofs until he found a new apartment to live in.

"That is unfortunate news," Zero acknowledged, a hand resting on the side of his black mask. "Since Suzaku won't be joining us today for obvious reasons, I shall take the liberty of contacting him later tonight with the details of today's meeting. For now, we shall begin moving on in our agenda."

* * *

"I am so sorry, Lelouch."

"...Hm."

"I am really really sorry, Lelouch."

"...Huh."

"I am seriously beyond sorry, Lelouch."

"Can you stop apologizing, that doesn't make this any easier you know!" Lelouch snapped, as Sayoko rubbed Chinese Ointment upon the large blotchy bruise on Lelouch's stomach... hard.

Sitting on the kitchen counter because of Sayoko's insistence, Lelouch was holding up his shirt, allowing Sayoko to apply the ointment on purple blemish that had appeared on his pale skin. Trying his best not to hiss out in pain when Sayoko rubbed the stinging medicine with a spoon on the bruise, Lelouch looked contorted, glaring at Suzaku as he did so.

The biker didn't bother to hide or stop his distress. It didn't matter how many times Lelouch had told Suzaku to shut up and stop fretting like a mother hen; the damned boy did it anyways. If Lelouch had been in the right mind, he might've found the image of the tough looking Suzaku jumping at every wince Lelouch made, funny. However, Lelouch was only feeling ashamed at having to be stuck in this situation, and wanted the biker out of the room ASAP.

"This is all your fault, you know," Lelouch told them both, trying to distract himself from the radiating raw pain that jolted through his spine every time he tried to move. "Didn't I tell you not to attack guests, Sayoko-san? And you, Suzaku, you should've stopped encouraging her!"

Snapping out of his panicked fretting, Suzaku looked exasperated. "What? How can you say that I'm encouraging her? She attacked me first; it was only natural that I defended myself."

"You could've killed someone!"

The biker looked away, brown curls hiding his eyes. "... No I wouldn't have."

"Tell that to the giant bruise on my body," Lelouch retorted, and then hissed out when Sayoko rubbed more ointment upon his wound.

Once again, Suzaku's personality melted, becoming sulking and fretful once more. "I'm so sorry about that, Lelouch. I didn't mean to hit you. It was an accident, you got in the way and—"

"Well it is certainly pleasant to know that all of this is my fault because _I got in the way_ ," Lelouch muttered darkly to himself, wincing some more.

"I didn't mean—"

"Well," Sayoko was grinning from ear to ear, mauling Lelouch's ivory skin with the incense-smelling ointment until it was pale red, "I think that bikers who don't watch where they throw their firsts around shouldn't loiter in the kitchen. Off you go, Kururugi."

Clearly she still had no idea that Lelouch had agreed to let Suzaku stay with them.

Suzaku reacted towards her challenge. "Half of it is your fault as well! At least _I_ am apologizing! I was aiming for you!"

"But you never hit me, you hit Lelouch."

" _It was an accident!_ "

"You _still_ hit him. Not even I am that ungraceful."

It was times like these when Lelouch wished he had some sort of God-given power which would allow him to force anyone to follow his commands. Then he wouldn't need to worry about ninjas and bikers trying to commit homicide in his own kitchen.

At long last, Sayoko finished tightening the bandages and moved her hands away. Lelouch breathed out in relief, the lingering numb stings of the ointment reminding him of his unfortunate run-in with Suzaku's fist in the middle of the latest Sayoko-Suzaku encounter. The Britannian student opened his mouth to complain to them both again, but stopped in his tracks, his eyes landing on the Japanese Biker.

Suzaku looked up hopefully at Lelouch, resembling a puppy who had just been scolded searching for compensation. When their eyes met, Lelouch felt like someone had just taken his heart out and thrown it into an ocean. Honestly, the numerous parallels that he found between Suzaku and puppies were so disturbing that Lelouch had to turn his gaze away abruptly, a scowl plastered on his face.

"You're alright…" Suzaku's face regained a bit of its normal glow, but his eyes were still stormy.

Honestly, the biker confused Lelouch to no end.

"What is it, Suzaku?" Lelouch grumbled, not looking at him. "If you're going to apologize yet again I'll tell you—"

"I'm really sorry, Lelouch," Suzaku said sincerely, regretfully. "I should've been more careful… it's all because of me that you got hurt."

"I couldn't agree more," Sayoko pitched in happily. (Lelouch never knew that she could be so malicious and well-mannered at the same time…)

The biker growled at her and then looked back imploringly at Lelouch, who stayed stubborn and remained turned away with a scowl to keep him company.

He only had himself to blame—he knew that—but it was so much easier to be mad at Sayoko and Suzaku instead. They were inhuman. No one could fight like they could, it just wasn't humanly possible! Never again, would Lelouch think of running in between Suzaku and Sayoko in a pathetic attempt to stop them. Obviously, they wouldn't heed until someone was injured… like he was now.

Though, in Sayoko's defence, she didn't get many opportunities to show off her extensive collection of sharp and pointy weapons often.

Said-biker and maid had started glowering at each other while Lelouch was distracted. The malicious tension between the two Japanese was starting to make even Lelouch grimace a little. Would Suzaku be able to survive living in this house…? On second thought, the more pressing issue was, would _Lelouch_ be able to survive this?

Sayoko needed to find out the change in plans some time… so Lelouch decided now, the sooner the better, would be the best time.

That is, until Sayoko cut to the issue at hand before he could speak.

"Shouldn't you be leaving, Kururugi?" She asked so sweetly, that strangers would be fooled into thinking that she actually liked the Japanese biker. "I think you've overstayed your welcome. I don't want Lelouch-sama's hospitality to be intruded upon any more."

Was it just Lelouch, or did the temperature of the room keep dropping with each glare that Sayoko and Suzaku sent to each other?

"I'm not going anywhere, Shinozaki," Suzaku drawled, his voice low. "Actually, I'm staying here for a while. I hope it won't be a problem."

"…Excuse me?"

Lelouch winced; this was not going to be pretty.

"Lelouch agreed to let me stay here with him," Suzaku put an arm around Lelouch's shoulders as he said this, making Lelouch splutter and attempt to push the offending arm away, to no avail.

"Don't say it like that, you idiot!"

Suzaku gave him a quizzical look. "What?"

Was this biker that stupid?

"You're making us sound…" Lelouch flushed, leaned in and hissed in his ear, "gay."

It would be interesting to note that Suzaku's ears went pink whenever he got embarrassed, or started laughing… or both. Yup, Suzaku was definitely laughing again, his hand cupped nonchalantly in front of his mouth to prevent the full-blown chortles from coming out.

Lelouch was not amused. Neither was Sayoko.

The maid's eyes were wide but then narrowed. "Your lies will not work on me—"

"But Lelouch said—umph!"

The maid rose an eyebrow questioning as she watched her charge clamp a hand over the brunet's mouth, acting as if the biker hadn't said a thing in the first place. His other hand rose up to calm down Sayoko's growing animosity towards Suzaku; Lelouch forced himself to take up a proud composure, again. His hand remained clamped over Suzaku's mouth, the biker's face growing a bit green in disapproval, attempting to yank the Britannian's smooth hands away.

Cutting to the point, before Suzaku could ruin things by speaking again, Lelouch gritted out, "Suzaku, why don't you _go into the living room and wait_. Sayoko, you can throw him in there."

He knew that she was confused, but wouldn't refuse a request that would infuriate Suzaku, so as predicted, Sayoko complied. The maid yanked the Japanese biker by the cuff of his shirt and literally shoved him into the living room, shutting the door to the kitchen with a notable slam. The door was a special sliding door made of steel which came out of concealment within the walls. Jeremiah had them specifically designed into the house in case there were attacks and they needed to use any of the rooms as a safe house.

Needless to say, the man was very paranoid when it came to Nunnally and Lelouch's safety.

The pounding noises that they heard from behind the steel door indicated that Suzaku was not happy with being locked out of the kitchen in the middle of his revelation. Oh well, Lelouch would deal with that after telling Sayoko.

"Lelouch-sama," the maid pressed calmly, "what is going on?"

Please don't tell me he's really staying with us, was what she was really trying to say.

"To put it simply, Suzaku is a friend of mine—"Sayoko actually rolled her eyes at this claim, "—who was kicked out of his apartment in the Shinjuku ghetto last night."

"So you're going to let this strange gangster stay in our house, with your precious little sister… and yourself?" Sayoko asked sarcastically, her calm voice losing its practicality.

Somehow, he'd been prepared for this after having to negotiate terms to allow C.C. to stay two months earlier. He brushed a lock of hair away from his face, speaking quietly.

"I know it sounds strange…"

"It _is_ strange. First the cat… then C.C., this isn't healthy. What are you trying to accomplish?"

"Nothing… it's just…"

The maid didn't speak for several minutes. She remained silent, unwavering. When she did speak, it wasn't to yell (Lelouch was surprised to know—having been expecting it from the experience with C.C.) but to simply ask.

"Is this just another off-handed way of trying to atone for your so called crime, Lelouch?" Sayoko deliberated, dropping the honorific deliberately as always when she addressed this seemingly forbidden topic that went unspoken among the Lamperouge Siblings.

Lelouch's face went blank, but still… she knew.

"Lelouch… you don't need to do so much, trying to change the world with your own power. We know, Jeremiah-kun and I, that you aren't like the Royal Britannian family—"

But I am, I could be… Lelouch thought to himself, if I was still among them. I know that.

"—you don't need to blame yourself for the accident that occurred with Nunnally. It wasn't your fault.—"

It was. He knew the truth. Nothing excused his crime. His age was no excuse. His naivety back then was no excuse either.

"—Ever since Nunnally forced you to make that promise, you've been going around doing exaggerated 'good deeds' that get you hurt, things other people would never do because they're _dangerous_ and _shifty_ , because you're trying to atone for some nonexistent crime! It isn't right. Stop this, Lelouch. That woman C.C. and this man Suzaku… they're dangerous people. Don't get mixed up with them, you'll get into trouble."

Her hand reached out to Lelouch's chin, forcing the expressionless boy to meet her set gaze.

"If you have ever listened to anything I've taught you, please, listen to this. I'm trying to protect you. Jeremiah will say the same when he finds out that you've attempted to let another... another stray… live in our house.

"You're putting yourself… your sister, in danger by allowing these strangers to live with us."

They breathed softly for a few minutes, the kunoichi hoping that she had somehow, miraculously, changed the Britannian boy's mind.

Violet eyes found brown imploringly.

"Sayoko-san…," Lelouch repeated softly. "He needs a place to stay."

She frowned at him. Honestly, her charge could be a broken record at time, persistent and stubborn in getting what he wanted. She shouldn't have bothered trying to convince him of otherwise, remembering what had happened with C.C. when Lelouch requested to let her stay. Instead, she should've thrown Kururugi out of the house while she had had the chance and locked Lelouch in the storage closet until Jeremiah came home to lecture him.

But he was giving her _that_ look. One she hadn't seen since the accident.

Now it all made sense, the maid knew why Lelouch was so hell-bent on helping these homeless buggers, these strays.

He cared.

That was the bloody problem wasn't it?

Lelouch, bloody, cared what happened to C.C. and Suzaku, should they leave the sanctuary of this house. C.C., who was running away from some strange monster of her past and Suzaku, who had no home, having been kicked out of it… Lelouch saw himself in them.

She should've known that Lelouch would feel empathy with people suffering similar strives that he himself had once suffered… No, still suffered. And if she knew any better, she would put a stop to all of these sentimentalities now, to protect her charges.

But… how could she defy _that_ look…? The look on Lelouch's face right now… The look that often haunted her dreams, whenever she thought back to the accident? How could she even try to defy it, knowing what the two siblings under her care had suffered?

No. It wouldn't be right to go against Lelouch right now. Not when he was like this.

So, after a long contemplation, Sayoko nodded towards the amethyst-eyed boy.

"Alright… he can stay," Sayoko nodded reluctantly. "But only until he finds somewhere _else_ to live. And you'll have to deal with Jeremiah-kun on your own, Lelouch-sama. Jeremiah-kun comes home early today, remember?"

Nodding apathetically, Lelouch thanked Sayoko quietly and unsealed the kitchen doors to deal with the Japanese biker. But he didn't fool her; she saw the gentle relief in his purple eyes.

That Suzaku… and that C.C., she didn't trust them one bit.

But if only for Lelouch's sake, she would allow C.C. and Suzaku the benefit of the doubt for managing to touch the blasé teenager some way or another.

However if she sensed any hint that they would put Lelouch or Nunnally into any kind of danger… she would not hesitate to kill if necessary.

That was a promise.

* * *

There were some things that Suzaku did not take well. Being thrown out of a conversation and shut out of the room that he had been previously occupying, was one of them. Even more, Suzaku didn't like almost having his nose chopped off by the appearance of the sliding steel door which sealed the entrance to the kitchen from the living room hallway. It dawned on Suzaku, for a small moment, that regular Britannian households did not have hidden steel doors which wouldn't open no matter how much you tackled them.

This house was weird.

So, when Suzaku proceeded to dig in his jacket pocket for a crowbar (how he could bare travelling around with a crowbar was a mystery), he reasoned that he was perfectly inclined to use it to break through the steel door blocking his way… somehow.

Typically, Suzaku didn't think out the consequences of his reckless actions, only thinking of the end results—in this case, seeing Lelouch.

"Onii-sama?"

Upon hearing the timid gentle voice of a little girl, Suzaku jumped and hid the crowbar behind his back, "I didn't do it! I was just trying to get into the kitchen! It was Sayoko's fault!"

The hallway, just as neat and tidy as the rest of the house, was vacant. Suzaku breathed out in relief, putting the crowbar back in his jacket. There was no one there… he was just imaging things from all the stress.

"Whoa!" Suzaku kicked to his side, almost hitting a vase sitting on a small coffee table.

Something had darted past his legs and started to claw against the thick steel door behind him. Something small and furry… something like… a cat.

It was Arthur, Lelouch's little stalker cat.

"Wow… I'm supposed to be one of Zero's aces and I get scared by a cat…," Suzaku laughed quietly to himself.

Arthur kept pawing at the door, mewling. The cat probably smelt Lelouch's scent on the other side and was trying to rejoin and take his usual place by Lelouch's shoulder. Suzaku had never been a cat person himself or an animal person in general. But he didn't mind them.

Setting aside his murderous intent on the barrier between him and the kitchen, Suzaku crouched down and held out a hand to pet the little cat's head.

"You're a cute little guy, aren't you?" Suzaku smiled easily at the little feline.

He heard something move by the stairs in the living room. Immediately, Suzaku pulled his hand away from Arthur's ears and rushed through the hallway. His reflexes and built-in instincts told him to burst through the living room and apprehend whoever was skulking around Lelouch's house. Living a life of constant danger, built in a lot of overactive responses from Suzaku's mind.

Robbers. Gangsters. Back-stabbers. Mobsters. Yakuza. You never really knew who would be coming after you next. That was why Suzaku was always prepared, no matter where he was, to attack anyone who came close—a possible attacker attempting to assassinate him, for yet, the hundredth time.

"Alright—who's there?" Suzaku raised his fists, glancing around at cozy looking living room, decorated with carpets and soft sofas. The curtains were closed, keeping the afternoon light from coming in and accenting the colours of the furniture.

From the corner of his eye, he saw a small figure move towards him, a faint whirling sound accompanying it. He tensed, habitually prepared to defend himself, eyes narrowed.

"Oh... you're Suzaku Kururugi, right?"

"So what if I am?" Suzaku sneered subconsciously, another one of his built-in reactions. "Just who are you?"

"Ah, sorry. I forgot to introduce myself," the timid voice seemed a bit afraid, "my name is Nunnally Lamperouge. I'm Lelouch's little sister."

He dropped his guard for that one small moment, surprised. "Lelouch's... little sister?"

As if to confirm the answer, the little girl emerged from the shadows by the purple curtains, the whirling sound growing louder. The whirling sound, of course, came from the moving wheels of the girl's wheelchair. Suzaku felt his heart get sucked away as he realized that Lelouch's little sister was disabled... wheelchair-bound and blind.

Come to think of it, Suzaku had never really asked much about Lelouch's family, only talking to him about the lighter topics like school. Bringing up something as personal as family, would force Suzaku to have to make up an excuse to avoid talking about his. He had been so grateful, in the mornings at the cafe, that Lelouch never made a move to ask about his own family that he had never wondered what Lelouch's family was like.

Stunned, he didn't speak for a few moments. He wasn't used to dealing with... with problems like this. He hadn't thought about what he was doing, imposing on Lelouch's home life like this. He hadn't known that Lelouch had to live with this type of problem... taking care of his younger sister.

Suddenly, Suzaku felt his curiosity involving the Britannian student rise exponentially. What were Lelouch's parents like? Would this bring trouble to Lelouch? Would Lelouch be uncomfortable, talking about his sister to him? And his sister… How would she feel about having some strange gangster staying in her home?

Suzaku really never did think about the consequences of his actions, only the end results.

"Did I scare you?" Nunnally asked him, her head tilted slightly.

He smiled at the little girl; she was so sweet-looking. How could he remain perturbed, after hearing her ask that?

"Ah, no. You just surprised me, that's all. It's nice to meet you," Suzaku continued to smile at her, taking her hand to shake it.

She didn't take it, moving her hand away, a small frown painted on her face.

"Um... Suzaku-san..."

"Yes, what is it?"

"Well... this is pretty rude of me... but... are you _really_ a dangerous gangster, like Sayoko-san said, here to hurt my Onii-sama?" Nunnally asked him in a very innocent manner.

Blinking, Suzaku asked for clarification.

"Sorry, but, Sayoko-san was telling me about Area 11's gangsters... and I worried about Onii-sama because he has such a bad habit of getting into trouble... I just wanted to check. I'm really sorry if I offended you!" Nunnally said very quickly, moving her head down in embarrassment.

This girl... and Lelouch... they were both too cute and funny, though their maid was something else entirely... Suzaku couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Oh yes, I am a big bad scary man here to kidnap you and your brother! You can't stop me at all, Nunnally-chan!"

She gave a slight gasp. "You aren't really?"

"No." Suzaku admitted. "I would never hurt you or your brother... especially not your brother. I might be a gangster or biker or whatever you want to call it... but I'm not what Sayoko-san describes me as, so please don't believe everything she says. She doesn't like me much."

Her lips were closed in doubt. It was obvious to Suzaku what the dilemma was. Lelouch's little sister was probably thinking something along the lines of: why should I trust your words over the words of someone who I've known all my life?

...Something like that, anyways.

Now that he thought it over, he couldn't blame her for being cautious. Who would be crazy enough to randomly trust an Area 11 biker like Suzaku besides Lelouch? It didn't upset him much, her distrust. Actually, it made him kind of relieved that Lelouch had such a caring sibling.

"Onii-sama did call you his friend…" Nunnally murmured to herself. "But he rarely brings any of his friends from school home. They usually come by and drag him out to hang out with them... So I was wondering, what you were doing here."

"Oh," Suzaku nodded at her, "I'm living here with you guys now."

"Ah... then..., you're like C.C.," Nunnally clapped her hands together in giddy laughter. "You must be a friend that Lelouch brought home to help. That's so sweet of Onii-sama!"

"...Huh?"

Nunnally's hands reached wildly for Suzaku's, shaking his hand vigorously. "You are very welcome to the Lamperouge household. Please take care of my Onii-sama and myself during your stay here, I hope you feel right at home."

Suzaku couldn't help but grin back. Her affection was contagious. "I will, and thank you for the warm welcome."

"Ah, but please do me a favour. I already made C.C. promise too…" Nunnally told him as sternly as possible. "Please promise to protect my Onii-sama from any danger at all! Promise that you'll be his knight in shining armour when he needs saving!"

Wow… Lelouch's sister was too cute, being so protective of her precious Onii-sama. Suzaku couldn't keep the delight out of his voice. The little girl was trying her best to sound so stern and intimidating that Suzaku couldn't resist joking with her.

"Your Onii-sama isn't a girl, Nunnally-chan," Suzaku teased lightly, smiling at her comment of princesses and princes being allowed to have knights as well, "Yes, but _only_ princesses and princes need knights to protect them, I'm hardly a knight myself."

"But… but my Onii-sama pokes his head in all sorts of troublesome things, all the time! He really needs someone to look out for him and to save him when he gets himself into some new crazy situation again and again… I can't be there for him all the time; he hardly lets anyone look out for him. I think he needs a knight to protect him. Please promise," Nunnally begged him, holding on to Suzaku's hand like a lifeline.

But I don't believe in knights or protection… Suzaku thought to himself darkly. I don't believe those kinds of naïve fairy tales anymore… I can't be a knight…

Idiot, he berated himself, why are you taking this so seriously? So literally? She's just a little girl. Humour her! Besides, Lelouch is a totally normal guy… what kind of trouble could he possibly get himself into? Losing his textbooks maybe.

Yeah, he would humour her for a bit.

"Nunnally… I don't think I'm 'knight' material, but I promise that I will do everything in my power to keep Lelouch safe from anything fishy…" Suzaku told her.

Like me, he thought darkly again.

"Pinkie swear!" Nunnally raised her smallest finger, dead-set on making the promise legitimate.

"Alright… alright…," he was amused to see that Nunnally knew the way Japanese children made their promises. She probably knew the little rhyme that went with it too… that you'd have to swallow a thousand needles and die if you didn't keep your promise.

Their pinkies intertwined, one small, pale and slender, the other tanned and callused. The innocent little gesture somehow felt kind of official to Suzaku. Even though he knew that the girl was blind, he felt like she really did have eyes… and they were staring down at Suzaku hard, waiting for him to say his pledge.

He had a feeling that she wanted the words to be official and taken very seriously. So the biker cleared his throat and said as firmly as possible.

"I, Suzaku Kururugi, promise you, Nunnally Lamperouge… that I will do everything in my power to protect your Onii-sama Lelouch Lamperouge from anything or anyone who is fishy or dangerous," he began, glancing at the wheelchair-bound girl to see if it was alright so far.

Nunnally nodded, "Do you solemnly swear, Suzaku-san?"

"I do."

"Alright…," Nunnally let go of his hand and shook her finger at him, half-serious, half-joking, "If you ever break your promise, you'll have to face the wrath of Nunnally, ok?"

Trying to imagine the wrath of Lelouch's cute little sister was amusing. Suzaku flashed his teeth, "Got it."

"Well, good to see that you've practically married yourself to Lelouch, Kururugi," C.C. popped up from behind the sofa, nonchalantly.

"Oh, hello C.C. have you met Suzaku already?" Nunnally asked her, unaffected by the implied statement the green-haired woman had made.

C.C. placed her hand on Nunnally's shoulder, her face blank. "Yes."

"Were you listening in on our conversation the whole time?" Suzaku growled at her, feeling his face burning up.

"What else would I be doing?" C.C. replied blankly.

"How about, leaving the room?"

"But then who would take notes?"

Suzaku frowned, "What do you need to take notes for?"

The stoic woman's golden eyes did not stray away from the sofa that she had been hiding behind earlier.

"Orange-kun."

"Orange-kun? What kind of name is that?"

"Oh… just _his_ name," C.C. pointed behind the sofa.

Just as Suzaku was about to ask who C.C. was talking about, he took notice of the middle-aged man who had just entered the living room from one of the other entrances. The man had blue streaked hair and orange eyes. He had a muscular build and was a good two inches taller than Suzaku, at least. Wearing overalls and a plaid shirt, the intimidating man was scrutinizing Suzaku with the same glower that Sayoko-san had, before addressing C.C.

"Orange is a name that Lelouch-sama gave me when he was just a child. Only Nunnally-sama and Lelouch-sama are permitted to call me that, C.C.," the tall man huffed.

"I prefer Orange-kun to Jeremiah-kun," C.C. responded inexpressively.

"So do I," Nunnally pitched in, smiling happily as Jeremiah muttered about C.C. being a bad influence on her.

Jeremiah rolled his eyes and waved lazily to C.C., a slight gleam in his eyes as he continued to scrutinize Suzaku coldly. "Could you two please step out for a minute? I need to have a chat with our new… tenant."

"Of course," C.C. nodded to him, blasé as she pushed Nunnally in her wheelchair out of the living room.

On her way, C.C. gave a slight smirk at Suzaku who scowled at her.

"Well," Jeremiah sneered at Suzaku sinisterly before gesturing for the biker to sit on the sofa opposite him, "I've heard a lot of things about you from C.C. and Sayoko-san over the last seven hours, Suzaku Kururugi…"

(Apparently Jeremiah-kun checked his cell phone constantly for new text messages at the orange farm, in case his precious charges got hurt.)

Oh snap… if Sayoko was playing the role of 'mother' in this strange family of Lelouch's… then Jeremiah was definitely the overprotective 'father'.

* * *

"Arthur?" Lelouch blinked at the furry cat that had leapt on to his shoulder, as usual, the moment he had stepped out of the kitchen.

Mewling with delight at his master's return, Arthur was licking Lelouch's check with vigorous affection. Lelouch spluttered, keeping one eye closed while raising his hands to placate the cat's annoying routine greeting. As he frowned, his fingers graced the tip of Arthur's fur, allowing Lelouch to pet the cat on the back for a few moments, calming the cat back down. Arthur purred happily in response, lay back and rested contently on Lelouch's shoulder.

Lelouch shook his head, though a small smirk kept in place from the cat's typical actions. Then Lelouch went straight to the living room, making up various excuses in his head to explain why he had Sayoko throw Suzaku out of the kitchen in the first place… and why they even had such a strange security mechanism in the kitchen door. He hoped that Suzaku was gullible.

Just as Lelouch neared the arch leading to the living room down the hall, he heard the start of a very stressful interview between Suzaku and… Jeremiah-kun. Lelouch felt mildly confused. Jeremiah was supposed to come home early in the afternoon at about 1 o'clock. Right now it was about… Lelouch checked his watch. The numbers on the screen read 1:15 pm.

Time had gone by quickly since he'd awoken to find Suzaku in his bathroom. Half of the day had gone by in a blink of an eye without Lelouch really paying attention.

Now he and Arthur were eavesdropping on the rather… interesting conversation between Jeremiah and Suzaku.

"How long have you known Lelouch?" Jeremiah stated it more like a command, than a question. Jeremiah could get really carried away with these things, even more so when it came to Lelouch and Nunnally.

Sometimes Lelouch got annoyed with it. Like now. For goodness sake, they were treating him like a freaking girl! He considered sneaking inside the living room to break up their extremely stupid interrogation.

"Technically, six months."

Six months? Lelouch, having been about to walk into the living room, paused. Had Suzaku really been at the café that long and Lelouch hadn't noticed the boy at all? He felt very stupid and oblivious at the same time.

"When did you start associating yourself with him?"

"Three months ago."

"Do you rob banks?"

"No."

"Do you vandalize?"

"No."

"Do you do drugs?" Jeremiah shot out, an interrogator through and through.

"No."

Suzaku, to Lelouch's amusement, seemed very annoyed with the onslaught of questions.

"Do you drink?"

"Sometimes."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty."

"Are you really twenty?" Jeremiah seemed suspicious.

"I'm twenty." Lelouch could hear the irritation growing from Suzaku's responses.

Jeremiah paused and there was a shuffling of papers. Then Jeremiah said icily, "I hear you're part of a gang… what's the name?"

Suzaku stayed silent this time.

At this point, Lelouch intervened, waltzing through the archway, making eye contact with his legal guardian. "Welcome back, Jeremiah-kun. I lost track of time and forgot to greet you a few minutes a go. You should've ringed the door bell so that we could properly welcome you back home."

"Lelouch-sama," Jeremiah tried to hide the stack of paperwork that had been sitting on his lap, behind his back without much effort. "Did you and Nunnally-sama have a good time at choir practice then?"

"Lelouch," Suzaku's face brightened considerably.

"Yes we did." Meeting Suzaku's happy eyes, Lelouch gave a slight nod. "You've met Suzaku, then?"

"More or less," Jeremiah kept himself composed under Lelouch's apathetic stance. "C.C. told me this morning on the phone that he'd be staying with us, although Sayoko-san told me otherwise when she phoned from the church this morning."

"Ah, yes, Sayoko-san and I sorted that out just now. Suzaku will be staying with us until he finds new accommodation else where," Lelouch flashed a smile at him. "I hope that'll be alright with you, _Orange-kun_."

"Of course, of course—I mean—no! Absolutely not!" Jeremiah caught himself before letting Lelouch's flattering words affect him. "Lelouch-sama, you can't just invite strange people into the house."

"He's not a strange person, he's my friend."

Jeremiah stared at Lelouch disapprovingly. Obviously, talking his way out of this wouldn't work, thought Lelouch.

"Sayoko-san said it was ok," Lelouch told Jeremiah earnestly.

"…She did what?"

Suzaku was watching the conversation like one would watch a ping-pong match. Back and forth, back and forth. If Suzaku wasn't such a shady person himself, he might've felt a bit offended by all these people poking at him like he was a psychotic serial killer bent on killing Lelouch.

But he was a biker who was part of a soon-to-be-terrorist group/gang so he wasn't one to talk.

Lelouch nodded.

" _Sayoko-san_ …," Jeremiah stormed out of the room to search for the kunai-obsessed maid in order to talk with her.

"Well… that was easy," Lelouch shrugged and looked over at the bemused Suzaku. "Get your things from the garage. We'll go find a place for you to sleep."

* * *

"Your wallet is running low," C.C. drawled lazily, sitting on Lelouch's bed with her Cheese-kun plushies and stacks of Pizza House stickers, dressed in her underwear and a large Pizza House shirt.

The normally immaculate floor of Lelouch's room was covered with pizza boxes and clothes which C.C. had obviously pulled from Lelouch's drawers, looking for something to wear. C.C. knew where to dump the pizza boxes, but she liked carrying them into Lelouch's room and dumping them on the floor to annoy him. The radio was turned up on high and the sheets of Lelouch's bed were stained with nail polish and tints of mascara. By Lelouch's bed, sat Nunnally, sitting happily at C.C. did her nails.

When Suzaku started laughing (the predictable bastard), Lelouch kicked him in the shin.

He opened his mouth to reprimand C.C., hesitated upon seeing Nunnally, and then shook his head with a groan. "C.C., can you please turn the volume down? And put on some pants… or a skirt. What if Jeremiah walks in? Lord knows I don't want to see him drool again…"

That had been disturbing.

"Too lazy," came C.C.'s apathetic reply.

One of these days, Lelouch would pop an eyeball from all the twitching he did around that witch.

"Hi Onii-sama, would you like to join us? I can do your toes," Nunnally giggled.

"…No thank you, Nunnally," Lelouch said to her serenely.

"Maybe later then?"

Seeing Nunnally's hopeful expression, Lelouch knew he couldn't simple refuse. Milly would have a field day with this when Nunnally told her. He smiled. "…Later."

He snuck a glance at Suzaku, who was now beaming at him… for whatever bizarre reason it was Suzaku had. The damn biker was probably secretly laughing at him getting his toes painted later. Stupid Suzaku.

"C.C., you do realize that you have the _guest bedroom_ to do this in right?"

"…Your room has the radio, and your wallet."

In other words, she liked using his credit card and employee discount card to buy more pizza. Really, Lelouch was too soft.

"I like Onii-sama's room. It smells nice," Nunnally finished.

Lelouch groaned. "Oh alright… C.C., since you don't bother to sleep in the guest room, I'm moving Suzaku over there, alright?"

"…But I like the guest room."

"…C.C., you never sleep in there," Lelouch pointed out. "You always sneak into my room when I'm asleep and use me as one of your plushies."

Suzaku spluttered behind Lelouch, "She does?"

"I don't go for little boys, Kururugi. Your claim is still safe," C.C. drawled again, applying nail enamel now.

…What the hell were they talking about? Lelouch blinked to him, seeing Suzaku's ears go red. …Never mind.

"C.C., there's only five bedrooms in the house. Again, I repeat, you don't even sleep in the guest bedroom. What's the problem if Suzaku sleeps there?"

"I was there first. He can sleep on the couch," C.C. shrugged morosely.

She had a point. Suzaku could just take the couch.

"Why don't I sleep in your room, Lelouch?" Suzaku asked a bit too eagerly for Lelouch's comfort. Damn that C.C. for giving him ideas!

"The couch it is…" He turned away, exiting the room.

"Huh? Hey, wait up, Lelouch!"

"If you sneak into his bed before he gets in, he'll be too tired to kick you out," C.C. called out to him as he ran out the door after Lelouch, now moving on to doing Nunnally's toes.

* * *

Night time had come to the Lamperouge household, the lights were all out save for the rustling of shadows by the patio outside. Jeremiah and Sayoko sat together on some plastic chairs, looking at the stars and having some evening tea. The sky was a navy blue tonight, hugged by black hues and grey tints of wispy cloud.

Giving off a sigh as the rim of the china tea cup touched his lips, Jeremiah whispered, "When you put it like that Sayoko-san, I suppose we can't refuse these two strays from our home."

"We'll have to watch them," the maid agreed. "Did you find any information about their identities?"

"C.C., obviously not. Her name is so strange that it's obvious to be an alias of some sort. Suzaku Kururugi, however... it seems like he was the son of the former Prime Minister of Japan. Governor Clovis merely released public information that Toudou took Suzaku under his care and was never heard from since, presumably still secretly rebelling against the Britannian influence on Area 11. Other than that, I can't find any more information about him. I don't even know what his gang is called... I'll check some of my sources from the Shinjuku ghetto, but I don't think they'll give up any more information about him easily," Jeremiah told her. "Those two are definitely hiding something."

Sayoko nodded. "Though, it doesn't guarantee that they will bring harm to Lelouch-sama or Nunnally-sama. They _seem_ to have Lelouch-sama and Nunnally-sama's best interests at heart, I will admit that."

Jeremiah smirked, putting more sugar in his tea. "Then, let's hope that nothing from their pasts comes to hurt our charges... or they will wish they'd never met us."

"Indeed. We made vows to Marianne-sama, after all."

Melancholy seeped into the lines on Jeremiah's face. "Yes. For Marianne-sama."

* * *

" _It's me_."

"Zero." Suzaku greeted his leader tersely, holding the cell phone against his ear as he stood in front of mirror in the bathroom.

Their leader had gotten each of the Black Knights cheap cell phones, a way to communicate with each other. They'd each been instructed to erase all traces of call history whenever Zero would call on them to inform them of their next mission. The cell phones weren't used often, as they saw Zero daily at the warehouse for missions. If they needed to find each other during a life-and-death mission the cell phones were useful in tracking down MIA members.

Suzaku checked the bathroom door to make sure it was locked, then he moved to the farthest corner of the room, near the shower head, to speak lowly into the mouth piece.

"I apologize for not being present at today's mission, sir. I had some personal matters to deal with," Suzaku said bitterly.

He wasn't sure if he wanted his leader to know that he'd been kicked out of his own apartment. It was kind of embarrassing to let Zero know, since the masked man held so much pride in Kallen and Suzaku's work.

" _You've found a place to stay for now?_ "

Never mind. It seemed as though Zero already knew. The others had probably told him after Suzaku had called Tamaki to let him know of his absence from the meeting.

"Yes. I have."

" _Good. You are essential to our plan, Suzaku._ "

Suzaku couldn't help but feel a surge of pride at Zero's words. He was important, a key player in the rebellion against the Holy Britannia and he couldn't help but feel confidence from it.

" _Gino Weinberg has given us an ultimatum. Since he and his partner failed in their mission to kill the aces of our group, Kallen Kouzuki and yourself, which resulted in the death of his partner, Gino Weinberg is thirsty for revenge against you, Suzaku._ "

"I see."

The cold fact that he had actually succeeded in killing that young girl, didn't bother Suzaku at all. In the past, it might've. But not anymore. Getting your hands stained with blood was inevitable—it couldn't be helped. Anya had killed Kallen's older brother. It was blood for blood.

" _You and Kallen are to meet Gino and Rolo at the abandoned Sakuradite docks next Saturday at 7 pm for a 'duel to the death' so it seems. I want you to go... but don't kill them. I need those two beaten badly and then captured... alive._ "

Suzaku raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

" _Yes. I need information from them about their leader. This is an opportune chance to trap them, since they're always in hiding. I would've liked to have questioned Anya as well... but it's not possible. After I get what I want from them, you and Kallen may do what you want with them._ "

"Understood."

" _We're also working on a new mission. I would like you to take part in it after capturing Rolo and Gino in the following two days_."

A new mission? Suzaku felt himself brighten at the opportunity.

"Sounds fun. What is it?"

He heard Zero chuckle darkly on the other line. " _Do you want a powerful knightmare frame, Suzaku? One designed by the Britannian Engineering corps? One on par and perhaps even more destructive than Kallen's_ Guren MK-II _?_ "

More powerful than the Guren? Suzaku felt his growing smirk widen. "I'm listening."

" _An inside source has informed me of the 7_ _th_ _generation experimental knightmare frame known as the_ Lancelot _at the Ashford University research lab. I will need you and Kallen to break into the lab and take the frame for the Black Knights._ "

"Sounds good, Zero."

" _After that, I will have all the pieces we need... to reveal the existence of the Black Knights to the whole world._ "

Suzaku's eyes widened. "You mean...?"

" _Yes, Suzaku, as I told the others earlier today... the time to move on in our plan is now. I will show you the miracles that I am capable of, Suzaku. I will show you how I intend to free this world from the tyrannous Holy Empire Britannia and pave the way to a peaceful and gentle world. The next step to freeing Japan will be removing the corrupt Governor Clovis La Britannia from his throne!_ "

* * *

After showing Suzaku around and spending a few hours cleaning his room from the latest C.C. mess, Lelouch had pulled on his pyjamas and flopped into bed, thankful that he didn't work on Saturday nights. With the lights shut and his good-nights to Sayoko, Jeremiah, Nunnally and C.C. complete, he snuggled up with his soft blankets, aware of Arthur pleasantly napping in his basket at the foot of the bed. Though, he had the feeling that he'd forgotten something...

That something shifted beside him, groaning and taking up the bed space. Wait, was it C.C. again? Did she sneak in, after he'd told her not too?

Groggily, Lelouch turned over and looked at the unwelcome presence beside him. He blanched, "Suzaku? What are you doing in here? You've got the couch downstairs! Get out!"

"But it's comfier here," the idiot smiled up at him, glowing as he looked at Lelouch.

"...C.C. put you up to this, didn't she?"

Suzaku wrapped some of the blankets closer to himself, grinning at Lelouch from ear to ear. "Oh come on, we're both guys. It's not a big deal. I won't do anything."

"...Whatever, just stay on your side. I'm going to sleep," Lelouch turned over, shutting his eyes tight.

"Thanks Lelouch!" Suzaku said happily.

The biker was being more chipper than usual, which was saying something. Lelouch wondered briefly what had put Suzaku in such a good mood, but pushed it away, too tired to think.

The boy ignored him, allowing the two of them to rest in silence, waiting for the lull of night to overtake them into a reality of dreams. It went quiet as Suzaku lay silently on one half of the bed, while Lelouch was curled up, as far away as possible from him, on the other side, stuck in thought.

Just as Lelouch was about to drift off, he mumbled sleepily, "I don't...," he yawned, "understand you, Suzaku... Why me...? Why not some other guy...? Why'd you... start talking to... me...? I'm... Britannian... "

Before Lelouch knew it, he was fast asleep.

* * *

Suzaku lay wide awake, listening to Lelouch's quiet snores, contemplating to himself with a tired smile.

Why indeed?

He looked over at Lelouch's peaceful face and couldn't help but feel that it didn't matter. He didn't care when it came to the person that lay across from him.

"...You're amazing, Lelouch," Suzaku said quietly.

Said-boy just rolled over and mumbled into his pillow, his soft breathing comforting Suzaku's quiet thoughts.

"...Good night, Lelouch."


	4. Chapter 3: Days

Fists bulleted into the punching bag in a barrage resembling cannons. Each pounding sound, ten per second at such furious speed, echoed within the warehouse, the slapping sound—a shock to any tender heart beat. The punching bag was being very thoroughly abused, just barely hanging on to the chained thread that held it to the ceiling above. The limp [form](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5321256/4/Walk_On_In) of the punching bag, worn from so many blows, resembled the dying form of an old crone helpless to the angry punches thrown against it.

She didn't spare a single glance or take a single break between each throw of her arms. No matter what she needed to build up the strength in both her arms, increase her speed—more powerful, stronger, faster. This bag wasn't a bag. It was a filthy Britannian. It was a symbol of the monstrous force that took her brother away. The anger powered her strikes. Puffing out her cheeks, she gave out a loud cry, preparing the final finishing blow, sweat trailing down her cheekbones.

Kallen Kouzuki would never allow anyone to call her a weak little girl. If they dared, well, she would let the results of her [training](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5321256/4/Walk_On_In) and experiences in the Black Knights do the talking.

The punching bag was thrown upwards, swinging wildly like a pendulum do to Kallen's last attack, the fabric finally torn through. Sand spilled down onto the floor, an overflowing symbol of blood. The enemy (the punching bag) was no more. She pictured the form of a fallen Britannian with ease in place of the ruined bag.

Then she scowled at it. "Cheap. Guess I'll have to get another one."

"Aw, man, Kallen. Not another one. I wanted to have a go at some punches today, you know," a grinning voice greeted her from the other side of the warehouse. "Do you have to keep trashing all the punching bags?"

Pointing a finger at him, Kallen jeered, "You're late, Suzaku! I thought you wanted to be prepared for Saturday, when we're going to be kicking some Britannian ass!"

The tanned biker grinned way too easily for her tastes. But he fought well, always beating her one way or another, which made up for his overly-cheerful manner. Kallen and Tamaki were on pretty good terms with Suzaku. They [knew](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5321256/4/Walk_On_In) he had a darker outlook on life then he cared to show, and in battle… he was unstoppable with built-up rage against their enemy.

"Ah, sorry. I was kind of caught up with Orange-kun trying to interrogate me again," Suzaku responded irritably, though the loose smile continued to remain on his face.

Bemused, Kallen grunted, "Who's Orange-kun? A new gangster?"

"Ah, no. You could say he's the guardian of the guy who I'm staying with now," Suzaku said, his cheerful manner actually genuinely cheerful for once.

Surprised that Suzaku had found some where new to live so soon, Kallen couldn't help but feel relieved for her fellow biker. She could count all of the times that he'd been thrown out in the streets on the appendages of her hands and feet, could remember him sulking around in allies looking for things to eat. The few times that Suzaku had actually allowed Kallen to force him into her house (when she had still been a 'Stadtfeld' and had to threaten the servants to keep their mouth shut) he'd been very miserable, only accepting her hospitality because he had reached the end of his rope.

Despite her gruff personality, Kallen was glad that Suzaku had somewhere to live now.

"So, who are you staying with? I'll have to come by and screw some rules into that guy's head," Kallen joked, imagining the list of threats she could come up with if this guy dared to throw Suzaku out.

When she looked up at Suzaku, he wasn't really looking at her. His eyes were unfocused, lingering on something that wasn't there, a healthy glow that she'd never seen except for when Suzaku talked to the strange Britannian kid at the café, upon his tanned skin. He smiled genuinely again, a light teasing in his eyes.

"It's a secret."

**Walk On In**

**-3- Days**

The Lamperouge Household was located a couple of blocks from Ashford academy, a rather large house with four floors, including a basement. Milly Ashford's grandfather owned a lot of land in the Tokyo settlement, often renting off his numerous houses to fellow Britannians and so on. It was because of Milly that they were able to stay in such a huge home, at a reasonable price, so close to the Academy.

Not that Lelouch ever got to school on time anyways. He usually took a detour to get coffee at _Ohgi's Black Tea_ every morning in spite of the long walk. Sometimes he waited at the park for Rivalz and they skipped school to do some gambling—playing chess against nobles. Other than that, the distance from his house to Ashford was perfectly convenient, particularly for his sister and Sayoko, who drove her to school.

On the third floor of the household, below the floor with all of the bedrooms located on it, were several large and spacious rooms. Sayoko had a training area where she practiced her martial arts, polished her weapons and updated her skills. Jeremiah had a small office which he locked himself in to do some kind of research. There was a small library, complete with a fireplace, sitting area and a balcony where Nunnally liked to practice her singing. Finally, at the end of the hall, was the music room.

The music room's walls were soundproof; Lelouch had made sure of it. Within the music room were shelves of compositions by famous composers all over the world, there were even some Japanese pieces among the piles of books. In the center of the room was an elegant, black and polished grand piano.

Lelouch occasionally played it for Nunnally, allowing her to have something to sing and listen to. Other than that, Lelouch refused to play at all.

Except for when he was alone.

Slender fingers danced across the ivory black and white keys lightly, touching each note with vigour and cherished joy. The keys of the piano hit the strings within with unsung happiness, each sound ringing in tune and in accompaniment with the wonderful melody which arose from the depths of the piano's dark frame. Chords and arpeggios rang out happily across the keyboard, composed together in one great piece.

His head was bowed low, eyes closed as he felt for each key and played from memory the song that his mother taught him, the songs that he'd picked up from ear on his own. His heart reached out, encompassed with the growing crescendos, decrescendos and pounding left handed trills. Everything existed at his fingertips when he played, a whole new and other world in which he visited happy memories once more.

As his index and middle fingers twisted together to make a rapid final trill, Lelouch gave out a happy sigh, his stance and fingers still touching the keyboard quietly in contemplation. He felt relished in the silent aftermath of the completed song, the relative mood still present in his chest. Nothing beat getting up early before everyone else, slouching down the stairs and playing sonatas in the impeding silent solace of the music room, where no one else could hear him.

He remembered the better times in his childhood, when Clovis and Schneizel one-upped him playing the violin rather mechanically, Lelouch had cared more about putting feeling behind his music. It had been one of the few things had he actually cared about, besides his mother, sister and the victory of chess. Even Cornelia had praised him in his music, while Euphemia hung off his arm, listening raptly with Nunnally in anticipation of his next song. Those days, piano was just a means of showing off.

Now, he didn't do that anymore. Not since the incident.

The sound of two hands clapping together in enjoyment, snapped Lelouch back to reality. He nearly fell off the piano bench as he bent over to see who it was that had disrupted his silence, mind racing on how to explain his early morning playing.

"I didn't know you played the piano, Lelouch. It sounded really great," Suzaku, dressed in his boxers and a muscle shirt, leaned against the door that Lelouch had forgotten to lock.

From the dishevelled state of his curly brown locks and the wrinkles in his clothing, it was obvious that he had just woken up and wandered down to the third floor. The biker had probably crept into the music room while Lelouch was too absorbed in his playing to notice the biker's careful footsteps. Even though Suzaku looked like he'd rather fall back and sleep, his eyes held that weird glow that they always did when they peered at Lelouch.

Lelouch didn't think he'd ever get used to being under the scrutiny of that blazing stare.

Rationality and formality didn't exist right now, however. Lelouch was busy panicking in his mind, anger furrowing out in the shock.

"What are you doing in here?" Lelouch practically roared at him, covering up all of his scattered repertoire books on the bench and floor.

He didn't remember ever feeling so violated. Well, there was that time when Milly organized a contest to see who could take the best photo of him—he had never run so much without running into some crazed fan girl (or boy) with a camera. It was very traumatizing; though Lelouch would loathe admitting it.

Milly loved exploiting Lelouch's obvious fear of cameras; let's just leave it at that.

In the darkness, Suzaku's eyes glittered at him apologetically in good nature. The shadows played gently on the smooth tresses of the biker's face. Lelouch had a habit of playing the piano in the dark, with no lights on. His hands were up beforehand in an act of peace, trying to explain himself, that loose smile that usually accompanied the idiot there.

"I was just resting, when I rolled over and realized that you weren't there—"

"Of course I wasn't there! You kicked me out of the bed again! Literally! Forgive me if I don't like sleeping with my head on the floor!" Lelouch burst out, still quite infuriated at Suzaku's intrusion and painful sleeping habits.

"Well, if you just sleep a little bit closer than I won't do that accidentl—"

"Idiot! And let you use me as a stuffed animal of some kind? No thank you," Lelouch hissed out.

Suzaku had to fight to hide his visible eye sore of a grin from Lelouch, continuing on with his rushed explanation, "—anyways, I got out of bed and went to look for you. I noticed that the lights were on beyond the door to the music room, saw it unlocked, opened it and heard you playing."

Lelouch felt his blood run cold, a thousand possibilities racing through his head at the speed of light, all of them too incomprehensible to clearly understand. His special and peaceful quiet time had been interrupted viciously and Lelouch didn't want to think about what would happen if Sayoko or Jeremiah ever caught wind of his musical habit.

"Listen," Lelouch hissed at him vividly, his eyes pinning Suzaku's with the deadliest poison he'd ever directed at someone, "you never heard or saw anything. In fact, never speak of this again. Ever."

He watched as Suzaku's lips arched downwards in an insulted frown. "Why? Are you embarrassed or something?"

"Don't talk about it! Just don't!" Lelouch shot up and hurried to gather his books towards the nearby shelves, closing the top of the grand piano down shut. The piano lid clicked down looking like a bloated black coffin.

"Lelouch, it's just piano, it's not like you were—"

"It's not just piano, you numbskull! It's my connection to my mother!" Lelouch blurted out angrily, "I play every morning to talk to her and you interrupted it!"

The biker hardly flinched before the harsh volume. He looked even more confused. "Your mother…? Isn't she living here with you?"

"She's dead. She's been dead for almost eight years!"

Then, as his lips were about to open slightly to spout out more nonsense, Lelouch's jaw hung open in horror as he had just revealed how previous the piano was to him. How he still clung on to the notions of his childhood, the happiness that he would never regain. The days with his mother, when he had no care for words like 'Area 11' or 'Exile'. It had been just Nunnally, his mother and him. Happy.

It was silly. He knew it. But he used music, piano, even Nunnally's singing as a way to remember and escape. He liked the solitude that came with feeling the black and white keys of a handcrafted piano. He liked the way his fingers slipped along the notes, pretending that it was his mother's hands guiding him along to the next page of yet another one of her old pieces. When he was alone, he could truly just _play_ with more feeling than he'd ever felt before. For his mother who he just _felt_ whenever he touched a piano.

His mother who was dead. His mother who he longed for. His mother who had always comforted him in ways he could never truly encompass in words. His mother who Nunnally sometimes cried for in her sleep. His mother who he sometimes feared blamed him for everything wrong with his life, everything he was hiding Nunnally from.

Whenever Lelouch sat down in the morning, hands edging towards that black grand piano, he felt like his mother was standing right beside him.

It was personal. It was sacred. It was _private_.

Not even Nunnally knew about his morning practises. The longing he still harboured for their mother was something that he buried deep within himself. And now he had just admitted something so in-depth, so previous to him… to a biker who had barely just become his friend.

How stupid.

He couldn't stop his heart from hammering. Suzaku was right, he was embarrassed. But he wouldn't let Suzaku take advantage of that. He hated this feeling, this vulnerability. It reminded him of the insecurity that came when he took off his indifferent mask, the insecurity that often came whenever he looked at a stray.

Lelouch closed his mouth, refusing to look at Suzaku—fearing the pity he would see in those emerald eyes if he did so.

I'm not weak… Lelouch thought to himself, fists crushed between tightening self-loathing and shame. I'm not weak, damn it, I'm…not…

"Look… I know it sounds incredibly childish to someone like you," Lelouch babbled, still refusing to look directly at Suzaku, his very curtain of self-assurance slipping away from his clutches, "but I don't like it when other people watch me play. I just don't like it. It's between mother and I… it's… it's not something I want Nunnally or Sayoko to know about…" He stumbled on his words, aware of how very constricted the room was starting to feel. "It's very…"

"Lelouch…"

Said-boy felt his insides flutter unexpectedly upon hearing the soft syllables leaving Suzaku's lips. Gentle. Kind.

Everything Lelouch didn't want. Things that often accompanied pity.

His eyelids flew open as he saw Suzaku's fingers venture towards his chin. Somehow, while he hadn't been paying attention, Suzaku had stepped across the room and stood face to face with Lelouch.

"Don't." Lelouch snapped, stepping back from Suzaku's touch. "I don't need your pity."

The boy stormed out of the room, bubbling feelings raging inside of him as the biker stared back at Lelouch, bewildered.

* * *

Suzaku's first five days at the Lamperouge household had been hectic.

The Sunday that had followed the Saturday of him moving in, Suzaku had woken up early to find out that he had kicked Lelouch out of the bed in his sleep. Apparently, he had a habit of rolling around from side to side, making dangerous kicking motions and thus, punching poor Lelouch in the stomach and off the bed into the wall. Nevertheless, Lelouch had not been pleased to sport yet another bruise courtesy of Suzaku Kururugi. Despite Suzaku's desperate apologies and insistence that if Lelouch slept closer enough for Suzaku to hold him securely (More like cuddle, Lelouch had accused him of doing.) there would be no problem. The Britannian boy had remained cold to him and locked him out of the bathroom.

Suzaku promptly decided to rush to the Black Knights warehouse to train with Kallen, as scheduled after his call with Zero the night before, in case Lelouch decided to relay the morning events to Sayoko or Jeremiah. As usual, Kallen had broken the punching bag from too much force in her punches. She had asked him about his new living arrangements, and upon seeing his content mood, decided not to question who he was living with, thankfully. Though, Suzaku had a feeling that she had her suspicions about who he was staying with. Kallen was very perceptive when it came to her fellow comrades.

( _"What do you mean 'it's a secret'?" She asked him. "You've never had to keep this kind of thing secret before…," Kallen loomed in closer to Suzaku, her suspicions apparent on her face. "Is he someone you're not supposed to be seen with?"_

" _Oh, I've been seen with him alright," Suzaku waved it off._

_If he told her that he was staying in a Britannian residence, regardless of the fact that it was Lelouch, she would surely pitch a fit of some sort. Kallen would then rant about their cause and the repugnance of all Britannians, asking him if he was some kind of Britannian-lover. That sort of comment would insult him dearly for Suzaku hated Britannia as much as Kallen did._

_But Lelouch was just… Lelouch. Nothing more. The boy was so amazing to Suzaku, that the word 'Britannian' didn't even stick when Suzaku thought of him. The word 'Britannian' was too low, too disgusting to be associated with someone like… someone like Lelouch._

_She spotted that glowing look on his face instantly, throwing together connections and completing pieces of the puzzle. Her face still revealed the doubt dancing within her as she scrutinized Suzaku's genuine chipper mood._

_Kallen raised an eyebrow. "… If you're sure."_

_But she didn't relinquish in her calculating gazes for the entire training session._ )

Returning to Lelouch's home had been another thing entirely. Jeremiah had taken it upon himself to close the garage door before Suzaku could even reach it, shutting the biker out in the rain with his biker. That weekend had been overrun with nightly precipitation; Suzaku was annoyed to find out, finding himself stuck out in the rain for the second night in a row.

He had thought about running up to the front door and yelling at Jeremiah to open the door, but really, what right had he had to demand such a thing? When Suzaku thought about it, Jeremiah and Sayoko _were_ being considerate enough to let him live under the same roof as Lelouch. Expecting fair treatment from these overprotective parent-like figures to the Lamperouge siblings would be too much to ask for. How could he impose even more on their too-generous hospitality? If Suzaku had been in the same position, he knew he'd do the same.

They were technically right. Suzaku knew he was dangerous. After all, his biker gang was about to become a terrorist organization in less than ten days away. Even before hand, he had been known to get into bloody disputes with other gangs such as the Holy Assassins. His entire life was laid out with blood and murder, things he hoped to keep from Lelouch for as long as possible. He wanted to uphold this happy existence he had with Lelouch, this feeling that he only felt from interacting with the boy that captivated him so.

Suzaku swore to keep his terrorist-related life entirely separate from Lelouch, no matter what the cost—if only to protect him.

Those thoughts hadn't lifted up Suzaku's spirits or dried his head from all that rain. After all, he was still getting soaking wet, growing more miserable with each passing second. The biker had sat down on his bike in front of the garage door, glaring at it bitterly deep in thought for a long time before someone took notice of his dilemma.

Lelouch had come home from work at Rakshata's pizza place—less than impressed to see his 'stray' sitting outside his house in the rain.

( _"...Suzaku," an irritated voice spoke up behind him._

_Snapping out of his melancholy demeanour, Suzaku spun around, sunglasses nearly slipping off his nose. His brown curls, wet from so much rain, splattered against his skin, giving him the look of a wet puppy. If it weren't for the black shades covering his eyes, an open book, from the world, his surprise would've been apparent._

_He didn't know how to describe the way his insides fluttered around, flipping inside out in the most exhilarating sensation every time he set eyes on the youth before him. Warmth penetrated Suzaku's freezing skin, as he grinned unconsciously at the boy with the umbrella, "Lelouch. You just came home from work?"_

_Lelouch raised a fine eyebrow in answer, "No, really?"_

_The sarcasm was earned, Suzaku had to admit. Lelouch's red Pizza House uniform, peaking from beneath his long black coat and his red cap, hanging from his backpack, made the answer obvious. The cold and wet were getting to Suzaku's brain._

" _What are you doing, sitting out here? You could've just called Sayoko-san or Jeremiah-kun out to open the door, Suzaku," Lelouch told him, rolling his eyes. The arrogant sigh that followed told Suzaku that Lelouch was thinking him as idiotic once again._

_Now Suzaku felt offended. Wasn't it a bit clear that those two hated him with a fiery (and justifiable) passion? Why else would he be sitting in the rain?_

" _Are you listening?" Lelouch clicked on the top of his tongue, his violet eyes pinning Suzaku with annoyance._

_Silently, Suzaku turned his eyes away in shame. His unresponsive mood from earlier had returned from Lelouch's question of Sayoko and Jeremiah. It made him feel inferior somehow, compared to the other two, in a way that he didn't like. He wasn't sure why they made him feel that way, angry and upset, but he didn't want Lelouch of all people to see him when he was at one of his worse states._

_The rain continued to run down upon his face._

_Lelouch scowled, stepping forward so that he was less than a feet away from Suzaku's face._

" _Come on."_

_Suzaku looked down to see Lelouch's pale and slender hand outstretched in front of him, the umbrella held over the crowns of both their heads gingerly, while the rain teemed down in an intense ricochet around them. Lelouch's face was blank, his eyes averted from Suzaku's as he held the umbrella out for both of them. It took a while for Suzaku to recognize and appreciate the absence of the pouring rain on his back and head._

_He looked dumbly at the pale hand that was extended towards him for several moments, a bit speechless._

_Thoughts incoherent, Suzaku could only manage an unintelligible 'huh?' in response to seeing the delicate fingers stretched out before him, in some sort of silent invitation. Thoughts of 'why?' and thoughts of his double life. Thoughts of imposing on others. Thoughts of the rain. Memories that the rain brought, and the mood that always descended upon him vehemently with the rain._

" _Since you live here now," Lelouch began authoritatively; hand still held out to Suzaku, "there's nothing wrong with imposing on us... even a little."_

_Suzaku felt his sunglasses slip down the bridge of his nose, as he stared bewildered at a pair of knowing violet orbs. Questions of how Lelouch knew what to say, how Lelouch knew what the problem was, how Lelouch even knew the signs to Suzaku's depression seeped into his mind. He looked imploringly at the other's violet orbs for an answer._

_Those violet orbs were glittering in slight amusement, slight warmth, slight understanding; his voice was entwined with undertones of amenability._

" _Let's go inside, idiot. Unless you like having your head look like a mop," Lelouch's lips moved into a small smile, commenting on Suzaku's drenched hair. "It's a bit much."_

_It was the first time Suzaku had seen Lelouch smile directly at him without any malice or irritation. The smile he had seen directed at Nunnally, Sayoko or Jeremiah, the one without any ties, was being shown to him. His heart tore open and soaked in the radiant, brilliant feeling which sung into Suzaku's veins upon receiving that smile for himself._

_And Suzaku beamed back at Lelouch._

_Not for the first time, he literally glowed beside Lelouch, taking his pale slender hand in his tanned and callused one with vigour. Their hands contrasted in the navy darkness of the late evening clouds. Though Suzaku's hands were freezing cold from the wet, and Lelouch's were only lukewarm... Suzaku felt warmth seep into his core just from the touch of Lelouch's fingers._

_Lelouch only smirked and muttered 'idiot' before leading the biker up the path to the house._

_All of Suzaku's post-decision doubt to living with the Lamperouges vanished with the sound of the rain and the feel of Lelouch's cool hand against his, as they walked to the front door together._ )

Needless to say, Suzaku and Lelouch had gotten along much better after that. Suzaku found himself receiving Lelouch's little smiles once or twice a day along with the patented sarcasm and eye-rolls that came with the Britannian boy. Their morning wake-ups (the usual kick-or-punch-Lelouch-out-of-bed routine) were lively and always ended in Lelouch rejecting Suzaku's offers to hold him in place while they slept.

"I like my bed space, thank you very much," Lelouch had said to Suzaku's pouts.

Suzaku didn't spend too much time in the Lamperouge household except to sleep, shower in the morning along with other essentials, park his motorcycle and avoid another close Sayoko/Jeremiah encounter once and for all.

Sayoko had a habit of setting up booby traps deliberately in the garage just for Suzaku. She made sure not to put any in the house, as Lelouch or Nunnally could easily set them off accidentally. To her annoyance, Suzaku was very good at avoiding all of the flying darts, nets and even the little ninja wires which could actually slice into your flesh if you weren't careful. He actually felt grateful for the added practice in his schedule, it would take more than that to kill or maim Suzaku. If Lelouch noticed the increased time Sayoko spent plotting viciously in her training room, he didn't comment anything to Suzaku.

Jeremiah on the other hand used every opportunity he had to try and corner Suzaku into yet another interrogation session. The man was persistent, Suzaku credited him for it, but his endless barrage of questions digging into Suzaku's personal life was annoying. He made sure not to answer anything Jeremiah asked him, particularly if they concerned his career as an active terrorist member and/or Japanese biker. Often Suzaku had to slip around Jeremiah's devious plots, often jumping up to the ceiling and over Jeremiah's head (sometimes accidentally knocking into the chandelier... which hadn't pleased Lelouch).

He thanked his exceptional athletic and fighting ability for allowing him to keep those two at bay.

Other than that, Suzaku didn't see Nunnally often, except when he came back from the Black Knights meetings in the late evenings. At this time, Nunnally would be waiting patiently for her brother to come home, inviting Suzaku for a cup of tea and showing him a new origami design she had made for Lelouch.

_("See this one, Suzaku? I think it's red. It feels like a 'red' to me. Cranes look majestic in red, don't they? The colour suits them.")_

Nunnally had the habit of creating a new origami creature for Lelouch every day, in the hopes of creating at least a thousand of each one, to grant her brother many different wishes. Suzaku found it so adorable that he didn't point out that it only worked with paper cranes in Japanese lore.

When Lelouch came home, he would beam at Nunnally adoringly, thanking her for the crane and proceed to tuck her in at night. Arthur the cat, the ever present shadow by Lelouch's side, would mewl after him before proceeding to bite Suzaku's fingers if the biker tried to pet him. Then Suzaku would get ready for bed.

C.C. would always use this opportunity to mock Suzaku as he passed by her room to get to Lelouch's. Sometimes Suzaku chucked one of her pizza boxes at her in retaliation. Those attempts didn't bother her at all. In fact, it only seemed to amuse her when she got hit in the head with them, unfazed.

_("You should hit harder if you're trying to hurt me, Kururugi.")_

One of these days, when C.C. had nothing to use against Suzaku, he would definitely inform Zero of her location (as long as it didn't implicate Lelouch some how). The witch was probably staying at Lelouch's place on purpose for that very reason, and Suzaku hated that he knew it and couldn't do anything about said fact. C.C. merely smiled at him knowingly, probably easily deducing exactly what was running through his mind as he glared at her.

Other than that, Suzaku spent his entire day at the warehouse to work with Zero and the other Black Knights. He ate meals at Ohgi's tea shop, trained with Kallen and collaborated with the rest of his gang-soon-to-be-terrorist-group. When he came back to the Lamperouge household, it would be about fifteen minutes before Lelouch came home with several boxes of pizza for C.C., and they would get ready for a night's rest.

Despite its setbacks, Suzaku couldn't bring himself to dislike any part of life with the Lamperouges.

Maybe it came down to the little moments he shared with Lelouch, watching the boy fall to sleep first each night over the week, apologizing to the boy every morning for the latest punch or kick, begging the boy to ride his motorcycle with him to the cafe only to get blown off as the boy walked instead, talking to the boy at said-cafe, seeing the boy as he came home from work at night... Suzaku had never felt more alive in his life.

He loved every part of it, talking to Nunnally, one-upping Sayoko yet again, avoiding Jeremiah, arguing with C.C. and everything to do with Lelouch. He wanted to drink up everything about this life that was Lelouch's, know just about everything about him, this boy that made him feel so glad to be alive. He had wanted to know... hadn't he?

But now he felt horrible.

Suzaku had assumed that Nunnally and Lelouch were from a rich Britannian family (thus explaining the ninja-maids, interrogating-bodyguards and panic-room-kitchens) and that their parents worked abroad on long business hours. He had never thought to assume that Lelouch's mother was... dead.

The fact stabbed into Suzaku's heart, ingraining the truth that he wasn't as close to the Britannian boy as he thought. In reality, Suzaku didn't know the real Lelouch Lamperouge at all... he only know the side that Lelouch displayed to the outside world (cold, arrogant, enclosed) as well as the side he showed subconsciously to strays (kind, thoughtful, caring). The second side he mentioned was only shown to those closest to Lelouch and those strays, but still...

Was it naive for Suzaku to think that that had been all there was to Lelouch Lamperouge?

He had been so engrained in the task of keeping his terrorist-life from interfering with Lelouch that he had never thought to dig deeper into Lelouch's character. He'd never considered that Lelouch might have a darker side to him too. Maybe subconsciously, the thought came to pass, but Suzaku pushed it away from his mind. Every relationship that Suzaku had in his life was on a more platonic need-to-know basis. Suzaku only knew as much about his fellow Black Knights that they allowed him to know or from their interactions together.

It was safe that way, slipping into the masks of cold terrorists, separated pawns and partners in liberating Japan. Easier to think and even perform inhuman actions, when you pretended not to be human. Zero taught them that. To wear their masks well.

 _("What do you expect_ us _to do against Britannia? We're just a couple of bums on the street!" Tamaki sneered._

_The Black Knights, a poorly dressed, small group of bikers gathered together in their warehouse, eyeing the masked figure on the pile of crates with mixtures of excitement and wariness. But mostly excitement._

_This man was offering an impossible dream, as far away as the stars. Yet he was pulling it down towards them, the miracle man with the power to rope stars onto the earth._

" _You are no longer mere vagrants of Area 11's society," Zero scoffed in his charismatic manner, a hand to wave off the ridiculous idea. "You are now major players, pawns moving up to be bishops and knights in the game leading up to the downfall of the White's King Charles Zi Britannia. You don't have to subject to the foibles of human weakness any longer, my friends, after you don this mask I give you."_

_Zero's gloved fist stretched out, as if to wring the world by the chest and shake it senseless of it's orbit. All of the shocked yet awed faces of the Area 11 bikers stared entranced at Zero. They were like moths gathering to a long lost flame. Zero's voice flitted out, invitingly, encouragingly, arms wide to grasp the entire universe within his palms._

" _Let go of your former meekness and sorrows," Suzaku remembered how his breath caught in his throat as Zero dictated his magical spell. "Feel not your anger and oppression. Seek no more the lingering breaths of supposed Britannian 'kindnesses'. Channel your strength, your emotions into breathing life into my dream. Everything I saw will come true if you will follow me faithfully to the very end. Salvation will be waiting for you if you choose to trust me."_

" _Become my army against Britannia. Free Japan. You are now knights of justice.")_

Zero gave Suzaku and his fellow Black Knights the opportunity to abandon all human will and doubt, to just follow in the comfort of loose strings. In a way, it was comforting to have someone to follow, a born leader who gave results and miracles. You didn't _have_ to think about right or wrong. You didn't _have_ to think about what to do tomorrow. You didn't _have_ to drown in bitter memories of Japan's glory. You just had to follow Zero. He promised, and you trusted.

Out of all his promises and polished words, this brought Suzaku the most ease. His revenge was in Zero's hands, he could kill all the bloody Britannian brutes he wanted to avenge Toudou. Zero would command Suzaku, so that Suzaku could be free of the chains of thought, and merely act—kill. For each of the Black Knights, it was the same.

(Alone they were mere bums on the street, the leftover trash from Britannian conquest… But with Zero, they were freedom fighters, walking on air.)

He was one person: a Knight of Justice. The boy 'Suzaku Kururugi' from so many years before was, in a sense, dead. Zero's black ace had shot him in the heart and immerged from the corpse, a completely new and bloodthirsty person. As a Knight of Justice, he no longer thought before he acted or questioned any orders from the God-given Zero, he just assumed it was for the greater good… for Japan.

Black. White. Japan. Britannia. Life. Death. Only one line, only one creed. Only the Knight of Justice left within that empty corpse of a man. And for a long time, no voice or echo from the thirteen year old boy who died so many years ago.

Lelouch Lamperouge, an anomaly in much of Suzaku's life, made Suzaku think for himself again.

At this moment—when Suzaku was running after Lelouch through the halls—with all the strength he could muster, he was not Zero's Knight of Justice… he was that little thirteen year-old boy named 'Suzaku Kururugi' again.

The one that would not let Lelouch run away from his friendship.

* * *

"Good morning Onii-sama," Nunnally smiled as Lelouch rushed past the doors to her room.

She was seated peacefully on her Queen-sized bed, waiting patiently for Sayoko to help her dress into her school uniform. The maid was busy looking through Nunnally's closet for her skirt and tie, the shirt and tights were laid out on the sheets of the bed by Nunnally's feet. Nunnally was very perceptive when it came to recognizing the sound of Lelouch's particular footsteps, claiming her brother sometimes walked liked a model wearing high-heels—precise, quick.

Running his hand through his sleek black hair, and straightening his collar, Lelouch perked up upon hearing Nunnally's voice. His smile was a bit strained, he knew, and he hoped it wouldn't be noticeable in his strained hello. At times, Nunnally's other sense strongly overpowered her lack of sight. Sometimes her intuition as well as her hearing seemed to combine into some sort of ESP which allowed Nunnally to predict exactly what he was thinking or doing.

Lelouch smiled easily, hoping that today Nunnally would not pick up on his sour mood. "You woke up early today, Nunnally."

"We're having a presentation today in class. I don't want to be late so Alice is coming early to pick me up."

Usually Nunnally's classes started an hour later than Lelouch's, so she was able to sleep in longer. When Lelouch normally awoke, she was fast asleep along with the rest of the household. Jeremiah was an exception on that matter, leaving half an hour after Lelouch awoke, to go to the orange farm he worked at. Even Arthur didn't wake up that early, the cat usually found his way to Lelouch somehow no matter what time the cat woke.

"Oh that's right. Tell Alice I said 'hello' then," Lelouch nodded.

"By the way Onii-sama," Nunnally tilted her head, "have you seen C.C. this morning? Over the past week she's slept beside me, but this morning when I woke up she wasn't here. Sayoko said that she left a note saying that she had some business…?"

He merely patted Nunnally's hair gently, a small hum on his lips, "Did she really?"

It wasn't too unusual for C.C. to leave the house without warning from time to time every few weeks. Sometimes she didn't return for several hours and when anyone but Lelouch inquired about it, she would say she went out to work on a personal 'business' of hers. As long as C.C. came home, Nunnally didn't worry too much about their houseguest, but Sayoko and Jeremiah would always become tense when C.C. left, paranoid that it had something to do with the imperial status of the Lamperouge siblings—that C.C. had found out their identities.

Unlike his guards, Lelouch didn't bother caring about C.C.'s whereabouts. If anything, Lelouch was sure that C.C. was going out to gather information about her pursuer, who still remained anonymous to Lelouch. There were instances where Lelouch found himself wondering if C.C. was merely preparing to run away from the Lamperouge household should she find a clue that her pursuer had caught up to her. In a way, Lelouch knew that C.C.'s secrecy and aloofness were ways of protecting them from her past. It was something that Lelouch could understand too well.

In turn, Lelouch never asked for any further details about C.C. if he could help it.

"Do you think she's alright, Onii-sama?" Nunnally asked him.

Smiling warming, Lelouch replied, "Yes. I'm sure of it. She's probably meeting up with some old friends or buying more pizza. She'll come home later. Right now, you have to get ready for school."

Lelouch poked Nunnally gently on the nose earning startled giggles.

"Onii-sama! Don't make me poke you back! I know your weak spots!" Nunnally threatened him between giggles.

"Oh, so you say… but I have the upper hand Nunnally," Lelouch cackled mockingly, ducking out of Nunnally's reach. "You will never get me alive, little sister!"

Nunnally pouted unsuccessfully, her grins fighting their way through as she managed to the bottom of Lelouch's shirt, reach out and tickle her older brother viciously on the stomach.

Falling into a fit of laughter, Lelouch backed away immediately, "Stop, stop! I surrender! I admit defeat!"

"Not so fast, Onii-sama," Nunnally put her hands on her hips, imitating a haughty pose that would make Cornelia proud, "you must swear everlasting loyalty to the Empire of Nunnally, doomed to be my slave for eternity unless you wish to face even more of my agonising tickles!"

Hands up in a dramatic faint, Lelouch cried out playfully, "No! Not that!"

"Oh yes," Nunnally cackled in her attempt at being an evil dictator, which turned out to be quite adorable actually, "the entire world will fall under the rule of my tickles!"

"Now, now," Sayoko, hiding a small smile behind her hand, stepped in between the two siblings with the rest of Nunnally's school uniform in hand. "It's time for you to step out, Lelouch-sama. Nunnally-sama needs to get ready for school and you have to get to Ashford Academy… _on time_ ," she gave a knowing grin towards the guilty party. "No skipping classes this morning."

When it came to discipline, Jeremiah and Sayoko could get very terrifying. During the times Lelouch was unsuccessful at intercepting the latest teacher's reports complaining about his irresponsible behaviour which included skipping class, Sayoko and Jeremiah had hung Lelouch off a bridge tied to a bungee jumping rope. Nine hours later, with all of the blood rushed to his face and having to face the nauseating view of the lovely Mount Fuji, Lelouch had become terrified of heights.

It didn't stop Lelouch from skipping to this day, as Lelouch got over his trauma. But it didn't hurt be in attendance once in a while. Sayoko and Jeremiah could get quite creative in their punishments for Lelouch's behaviour.

"Alright… alright…," Lelouch nodded in defeat, brushing off his pants.

"Aw… but I want to assert my dominance over the world…," Nunnally joked to Lelouch and Sayoko, the giggles finally subsiding.

Sayoko rolled her eyes, pushing Lelouch out the door, muttering, "You two are so _cute_ at times…"

The door to Nunnally's room closed shut, leaving Lelouch alone in the hallway. Though Lelouch knew it was unbecoming of a seventeen year old, he pouted. He didn't like anyone calling him 'cute'. Lelouch was not supposed to be 'cute'.

By the time Lelouch got downstairs to the kitchen, he was trying to recall what he had been so upset about before talking to Nunnally that morning.

"Lelouch! Wait up, let's walk together!"

Oh. Right. The source of his previous frustration and anger had been the newest houseguest to the Lamperouge household by the name of Suzaku Kururugi.

Speaking of which, the biker nearly fell down the steps as he rushed towards Lelouch, curly hair even more unkempt than usual. The biker was dressed sloppily, with a long blue jacket on—the first article of clothing that Suzaku owned that was not black—pants and a black muscle shirt. Frankly, it seemed as if Suzaku had just thrown on whatever was in his duffel bag, for he had even forgotten to put on his trademark sunglasses. The biker clearly intended to confront Lelouch about the incident in the music room.

Fighting to keep his face blank, Lelouch grabbed his school bag and walked out the door. On cue, Arthur came bounding beside him from his basket in the living room, accompanying his master in a casual trot. The little cat, now a somewhat comforting shadow, mewled after Lelouch's furiously paced strides, jumping onto Lelouch shoulder as soon as Suzaku caught up.

At times Lelouch cursed those blessed with enormous physical stamina like Suzaku. He'd never be able to outrun this idiot.

"What do you want?" Lelouch spat out, "I don't want to talk right now. Don't you need to ride your motorbike to the tea shop like you usually do, you idiot?"

Hardly out of breath, Suzaku said seriously, "I wouldn't be able to walk with you there then."

"…You're always begging me to get a ride with you on your damned motorcycle," Lelouch pointed out sceptically.

The idiot loved that bike like it was his own mother. Lelouch couldn't begin to count the hectic mornings where Suzaku begged Lelouch to get on his bike, saying it was faster to get to Ohgi's tea shop. From what Lelouch had seen of Suzaku's driving skills, it would be more dangerous. He was not going to put his life into the hands of a crazed motorcyclist.

"It broke down," Suzaku said quickly.

"…Right," Lelouch replied scathingly.

"I wanted to apologize."

" _I_ wanted you to stay quiet about this and never talk about it again," Lelouch rebutted, speeding up to the next block.

"Lelouch! Hey wait!"

The scenery began to change slightly as they moved from the Ashford neighbourhood grounds—decorated by huge green lawns and mansions—to the Tokyo settlement. Sky scrapers of blue and purple along with busy traffic lights seemed to glitter in the morning sun. As they moved into one of the poorer districts of the Tokyo Settlement, where many Elevens ran various shops close to the large square in which Clovis La Britannia had built a statue of himself, the sidewalks began to get more crowded.

Lelouch was hardly fond of being around large crowds and ended up standing closer to Suzaku than he wanted too. One of the advantages of eating in a less popular district was the vacancy of the walkways. Of course, he always needed to pass by the busier sections of the city to get there. Lelouch and Suzaku's new proximity only gave the biker more of a chance to confront the Britannian boy.

"Lelouch…," the idiot reached out for Lelouch's shoulder, making Lelouch face him. "This morning I should've been more sensitive to your situation… I didn't mean to barge in."

"Stop talking about it," Lelouch snapped, "It's not a big deal. Just leave it alone." He tugged his arm away from Suzaku's strong grip, with little result.

Green eyes narrowed as something in Suzaku snapped.

"Damn it, Lelouch, stop running away from me!"

Several of the business women and men brushing past stopped to stare incredulously at the pair after the sudden outburst. Even Lelouch was in slight shock, realizing that it was the first time he'd heard Suzaku direct any sort of anger or frustration directly towards him.

At the moment he was gaping at the sudden look of vexation from the brunet before him. Suzaku's green eyes were dancing with sparks of aggravation, his mouth slightly open in deep gasps. Lelouch found himself being struck speechless all over again (the idiot had a habit of doing that to him).

When Lelouch felt his wrist being clasped by Suzaku's hand and was finally aware of his being being dragged off to the Britannian Square arnestly, he finally had the mind to protest. The Japanese biker was towing Lelouch along like a rag doll—no sign of the grip relenting. Lelouch's feet fumbled along, trying to keep up with Suzaku's peeved steps.

"Suzaku!" Lelouch cried out irritably, "Let go of my wrist!"

"No."

"Stop it, I don't want to talk, I don't want to go anywhere with you," Lelouch shouted, his temper rising, as his feet uselessly shuffled against the tide of Suzaku's strength.

"Well, that's too bad, isn't it?" Suzaku's tone was clipped, "Because I have happen to want to talk with you, I happen to want to go somewhere secluded so that I can talk with you and I think I will talk to you."

That's it, Lelouch concluded furiously, as he saw the couples and children in the square edging as far away from the arguing duo as possible ("Oh my, they're being quite open in their relationship aren't they?" "Ignore the lover's spat, dear..."). Desperate, Lelouch began banging his fist on the hand wrapped firmly around his wrist but to no avail. Suzaku didn't bat one eyelash at Lelouch's attempt to break free.

If anything, Suzaku seemed even more frustrated. The biker looped his arm around Lelouch's torso and then heaved the thin Britannian over his shoulders, content with Lelouch's light weight. As Lelouch started yelling at the top of his lungs, banging against the biker's back with his legs dangling in the air, Suzaku made sure to glare heatedly at anyone who opening stared at the spectacle.

"Put me down!"

"No."

"God damn it, I'm going to curse you and your entire future!"

"Pipe down, Lelouch. It's faster this way."

"It's idiotic! I said I don't want to talk to you so put me down!"

To Lelouch's surprise, Suzaku dropped the Britannian boy promptly on a field of grass in a more secluded area of the square concealed by the various maple trees and bushes. As Lelouch rubbed his bottom, he noted quickly that he was sitting at the base of a gnarled middle-aged maple tree, surrounded by bushes and hidden from prying eyes. Suzaku towered over Lelouch almost menacingly with his vehement glare, a hand on either side of Lelouch on the tree trunk.

Lelouch suddenly felt his breath fly away and his heart rush up into his throat to permanently lodge there. Nothing felt right, his cheeks were feeling hot and feverish, his vision was spinning out of control as he stared up at the angry emerald eyes above him. He was cornered in every sense of the word.

"You need to get over yourself," Suzaku growled at him.

Well, that broke the moment.

To Lelouch's credit, he recovered over his daze easily to retort, "What?"

"I'm trying to tell you that I'm sorry for being so insensitive to your mother's death!"

Poison spread within Lelouch's veins as he spat out, "Is that it? _I already told you to leave it alone!_ "

"Well maybe I don't want too!"

"It's none of your business!"

"Yes it is! I'm your friend! Don't push me away, damn it! I'm not as stupid as you seem to think, I notice these things about you, Lelouch!" Suzaku spat out, slamming his fist into the tree trunk, Lelouch still squished in between his two hands. "I don't want to leave you alone because _I care about you and your feelings_! I actually do give a damn if I upset you and if your parents are dead! I actually do want to know everything about you, I'm your friend! Stop treating me like you treat everyone else, because _I'm not like everyone else_ , I care."

Without all of those pent up words and emotions out of his system, all that remained were Suzaku's deep breaths.

Then Lelouch burst out laughing.

Suzaku was not pleased. He crossed his arms, crossed. "Is this all a joke to you?" Puffing up his cheeks, he looked more and more like a pouting dog.

"You... you're...," Lelouch wiped a tear from his eye, "really serious about this, aren't you?"

It was extremely funny to Lelouch that Suzaku was taking his childish antics at hiding his talent in piano to heart. No one had particularly cared as much as Suzaku did about the death of Lelouch's parents. Suzaku wasn't even offering pity, he was offering friendship of all things... and for Lelouch, it was slightly ridiculous.

(After the fire that overtook the ship, taking his mother down with it into the depths of the sea, Lelouch found it hard to trust anyone who wasn't family to care.)

"...So what?" Suzaku muttered, a pink tinge on his tanned face, "I'm not used to this kind of thing... I've never really wanted to be close friends with someone else before, alright? Normal friends are supposed to confide in each other."

Suzaku looked away, busy grumbling to himself while Lelouch sat quietly, thinking to himself. His gaze lingered on the soft tresses of the green grass at his feet. The tightening of Suzaku's fists did not go unnoticed by Lelouch, who found even more similarities between Suzaku and himself.

(Even at Ashford, surrounded by the carefree atmosphere of a mere high school life, Lelouch never found it easy to approach others. He didn't want too. Sometimes, secretly, he hoped that he could remain invisible, let the sea of students pass him by.

As expected, Milly Ashford refused to let him drown in his own self-loathing. She brought him companionship. She pushed him to the student council. Thanks to the open attitudes of Rivalz and Shirley, Lelouch found himself friends.

But even then, Lelouch held them all at an arm's length.)

Yet here was Suzaku, talking of forbidden things... and Lelouch didn't feel bothered by it anymore.

"I don't trust people easily, at all," Lelouch looked at him in the eye so that Suzaku could understand.

"I know," Suzaku responded firmly. "I've seen it in the way you act. But I _want_ you to trust me. I don't want you freaking out at me every time one of your strings snap."

"...I'll tend to do that every so often," Lelouch pointed out.

"I know." He glared, "do you think I care?"

Lelouch crossed his arms, huffing.

"You're extremely stubborn, aren't you?" He snorted, looking off to the side. "I'm not the sort of person you should be doting on so persistently. I don't even understand why you're angry."

"God, it's because I _like—Ow!_ Arthur, what are you...?"

The small feline, tired of being ignored by his master for the biker, had decided to show how he felt by biting deeply into Suzaku's fingers. The shocked expression on Suzaku's face was too priceless for Lelouch as he covered his mouth to contain the laughter.

"Arthur!" Suzaku hissed, prying the cat (and Arthur's sharp claws) from his skin to the grass, "Lelouch!" Suzaku frowned seeing him laugh, "Hey, I was going to say something!"

"My mother drowned to death, you know," Lelouch said softly.

Suzaku froze. "Lelouch..."

"We were running away from the _homeland_ ," Lelouch spat out hatefully, as if Suzaku wasn't even there, yet his voice remained painfully soft. "Jeremiah was with us, Sayoko as well. By cargo boat delivering exports to Japan was the safest way to smuggle out of Britannia. But something happened. You could call it arson, but with the cargo ship... I suspect it was my father's men. They didn't want us to get away. They set the oil on the ship on fire... I had to watch my mother burn as the boat sunk to the sea after Sayoko shoved Nunnally and myself onto a lifeboat. The trauma of the incident triggered something in Nunnally's brain, rendering her pupils shut. She became blind after that day. I never forgave _him_."

When Suzaku opened his mouth, the Britannian boy mechanically opened his mouth to say more, his eyes did not leave Suzaku's shocked face.

"When we escaped to Japan we had to arrange a private funeral. My mother had friends who met us in Japan and arranged new identities for us. Nunnally cried at her funeral, even though she was now traumatically blind, she could still cry. I didn't," Lelouch continued out casually—too casually—for this type of story. "I had to protect Nunnally in my mother's place. I had to be the strong one who would make the world a safer place. I had to punish Britannia for taking my mother away. I never hated anything more... I still do hate Britannia with all of my heart. It used to be that I'd do anything to watch it burn, to know that up there, the Royal Family of Britannia would suffer if I got vengeance for my mother.

"But... an incident happened between Nunnally and myself...," Lelouch's eyes darkened. "We never talk about it, but from that day since, I haven't pushed for any blood against Britannia. I'd rather just hate it in silence. So you see, I really am no better than any other Britannian in the Holy Empire, Suzaku. I sit by and watch the oppressed stay oppressed… just as the rest of us Britannians do. I just—"

"Stop it. Stop talking about it, Lelouch," Suzaku grabbed Lelouch by the shoulders and glared at him in the eyes. "Don't you dare compare yourself to filth like _them_ again! You are not like them! If I hear you compare yourself to cretin, those Britannians again—"

"I _am Britannian! Get it through your head!_ " Lelouch snapped back, "You shouldn't like me so much!"

"But I do! What is your—" Suzaku stopped in mid-sentence and gaped at Lelouch, "You're trying to make yourself out as the villain aren't you? You're just trying to bait me and push me even further away by blowing up at me. This is just your way of staying reclusive from everyone else, from letting anyone pop your little bubble. That's why you told me all of that. You want me to run away from you."

Incredulously, Lelouch gaped at him.

"Lelouch... you really are acting stupid..."

"Hey!"

"If it's you... I don't care."

Lelouch blinked up at him.

"... Lelouch, I think you are a really amazing person. I really like you and I want you to trust me… I genuinely want us to be friends. I've never actually wanted to be close to anyone else before but I do with you. Lelouch…," the biker shifted away for a minute, "I promise I will never leave you. I'll always be there at your side if you need someone to lean on. I just want us to trust each other."

 _That's the first time anyone has ever said that to me, without any obligation…_ Lelouch felt his insides warm intensely, tickling his heart at Suzaku's words. Lelouch knew many sufferings, many toils and trials. _But would it really be that bad, to trust someone, even a little?_

He stood up and walked out of the bushes into the sight of the Britannian Square, while Suzaku stared at him in surprise.

"Lelouch?"

"We're late. I have to get to school on time today or Sayoko-san will throttle me," Lelouch deadpanned. "You won't get to hear me play piano again if she does that."

"…You… You'll play for me?"

Suzaku looked like Christmas had come early.

"No," Lelouch retorted.

Suzaku's mood simmered into melancholy, anger diminishing into sullen waves.

"…But you can listen in… from time to time if you can't sleep… or something…"

Lelouch watched as Suzaku glowed in front of him, understanding passing between the two of them. That this was their secret, something between friends, between just the two of them. Though Lelouch didn't fully understand the nature of his relationship between Suzaku and himself (and he was sure that Suzaku barely did either) or even what had just conspired between the two of them, he knew that somehow, deep down…

He had already started trusting Suzaku Kururugi with his deepest secret a long time ago.

Maybe it had begun on the day after Lelouch took C.C. in… maybe even before that. Lelouch had always kept people at an arm's length, yet Suzaku had pushed that arm away and embraced it. Lelouch had always played piano in secret in the quiet solace for his mother, yet here he was talking about it as if he would play again in front of the idiot. Lelouch had always succeeded at pushing others away… yet this was the first time someone pushed back hard enough.

Somehow, Suzaku had become Lelouch's own anomaly. And it didn't bother the exiled Britannian at all.

In fact, he felt lighter.

_Why do you push people away?_

Because Lelouch was a guilty person. He had to atone for the incident. He had to redeem himself of a sin that he knew he could never make up for no matter how many good deeds he preformed. His guilt would always weigh him down, and he would deny all friendships and comforts in the past, hoping to stay secluded in his remorse.

But then Suzaku stepped in. And Lelouch was glad for it.

_For not running away from me. And for promising to stay with me._

_Suzaku… Thank you._

* * *

"I'm kind of curious Lelouch… but why don't you want people to know about your piano playing?" Suzaku asked him, as they sat outside the tea shop as always.

Lelouch sipped his coffee quickly, hoping to get to school on time so that Sayoko wouldn't kill him. He couldn't help but notice that Kallen had been eying him and Suzaku oddly this morning. Maybe she was just curious about how close they'd gotten.

"… It's kind of… personal," Lelouch said slowly, "something I don't like to show off to people anymore. It's a way to connect to my mother… I have a hard time… admitting that sort of thing to people," Lelouch scowled as Suzaku muttered 'no kidding' and continued on. "Anyways, I'm not the musician in the family. Nunnally is. She wants to be a singer when she grows older." He said fondly.

"… But wouldn't that just give you more incentive to become a pianist or something?"

"No. I want Nunnally to be happy. Her needs come first. I need to support her financially if she wants to continue down the path of a singer. Not all singers become successful. I know she'll want to keep singing no matter how much money she makes, so I want to be there to take care of her. I'll need a stable job for that… maybe something in medicine or law. Something that pays well. We can't afford to support _two_ musicians."

"But…," Suzaku looked a bit forlorn, "you love the piano, don't you? It'd a bit of a waste…"

His intense gash made Lelouch look away. "I don't deserve to have my dreams realized. Nunnally comes first."

Suzaku frowned at him. "You should come first sometimes too."

To this, Lelouch only shrugged and finished off his coffee.

* * *

"Lelouch, are you paying attention to me?" Milly Ashford kept her hands on the black skirt of her pale yellow school uniform, a jubilant smirk on her lips. "I told you that I need the list of materials needed for the Horseback Riding Club first thing tomorrow, alright?"

"Yes… yes… so you've told me about a dozen times today," the student council vice-president responded airily.

The school day had just ended and Milly had insisted on accompanying him on the way home ("You could get kidnapped by pedophiles, Lulu!" "Milly, that's not funny."). But Lelouch knew that motive behind her friendly gesture; she was going to ask about his newest houseguest. She had been trying to find out more from C.C. over the phone all week.

If anything, she would use it as yet another excuse to throw a party.

"…How are you doing lately, Lelouch?" The student council president slipped into a more serious tone, her eyes showing her to be older than her years behind that carefree side she always sported.

It was common for Milly to check on Lelouch's behaviour constantly. The girl could be as protective over Lelouch as Sayoko or Jeremiah when things got serious. She had been present during the 'incident'… so she was more receptive to Lelouch's subtle changes in attitude. Sometimes, Lelouch wondered if she was also paranoid as much as she was insane. The festivals that she frequently organized seemed to be a method of cheering Lelouch up, as well as to make happy memories for the other students of Ashford… and for Milly herself. It was in that sense, that Lelouch really did admire his friend.

Taken back by the change in her demeanour, Lelouch wondered if he had done something to worry her. Unlike the other members of the student council, Lelouch was slightly closer to Milly. She knew of his heritage and past from the inside out. If anything, she was a more energetic version of C.C. in terms of her perception.

"It's nothing, really."

Milly scoffed and threw an arm around Lelouch's shoulders, ignoring his squawk of indignation, "Lulu, Lulu… you can't hide a thing from me." She poked his nose with her finger and leaned in closer, "If it's nothing, then how come you're being more spacey than usual today? Rivalz and you aren't planning another gambling gig, are you?"

"That's not till Monday," Lelouch reminded her. "I don't even need to lift a finger about _that._ "

"True, true… You make me so proud. Little Lulu punishing those arrogant nobles," Milly jested playfully, "Hm… maybe it's a crush? A new friend? Maybe… your little roommate?"

Lelouch felt his face heat up and to his misfortune; Milly noticed the pink twinge on his pale cheeks. Quietly, Lelouch made a note to put extra chilli peppers on C.C.'s pizza tonight.

"So it _is_ your new little freeloader!" Milly cheered with glee. "So is he cute? Have you two kissed? Oh my god, I can't wait to tell Rivalz that you're gay!"

"I am not gay," Lelouch said, insulted. "I just—never mind. I'm just friends, good friends, with Suzaku. That's all."

"Sure… but ah, just so you know, _good friends_ don't normally share toothbrushes, or sleep together, or argue like a married couple, or make googly eyes to each other, or make—"

" _Milly!_ "

"Ah, I love making you blush!" Milly pinched Lelouch's red cheek with zest and blew him a kiss. "Trust me, Lelouch. You don't have much experience in the relationship category, but from what C.C.'s told me… you two sound G.A.Y." Before Lelouch could argue, Milly smiled gently at him. "You seem happier lately, since this Suzaku has been living in the same house… I'm glad."

For the second time that day, Lelouch found himself gaping.

Knowingly, Milly slipped her arm down to Lelouch's waist, "Don't look so surprised, Lulu. I've heard an awful lot about you two from your sister and C.C... I want to meet my little Lulu's new friend! You should bring him over after school to a student council meeting. Preferably next week as soon as possible so that I can get a good look at him."

"No way. You're going to tell him weird stories about me, or something."

"Aw, don't look at me like that, dear Lulu," she pouted. "It's not like I'll tell him your darkest secrets. Just… embarrass you a bit. You're way too stiff for a seventeen year old, you need to lighten up and enjoy life a little more."

He merely rolled his eyes and shuffled to closer to the edge of the road, from Milly's grip, "Hmph. I do fine on my own."

"There it is again! You've got to stop being a spoil sport," Milly shook her finger at him, "but…," Milly looked more serious this time as she looked at Lelouch, "I really am glad that you've gotten closer to an outsider, Lelouch. Someone who doesn't already know who you really are… I hope it goes well for you."

Lelouch blinked and shifted away, feeling uncomfortable with the insinuations that were coming with the conversation. He turned to the first store he saw, which was a music store, and went straight for the first person he saw, hoping for a distraction. Anything to keep Milly's mind from insinuating anything else between Suzaku and him.

To Lelouch's pleasant surprise, he didn't need to fake any sort of excuse. The boy from the church last Saturday was standing icily in front of the music store, staring at the instruments standing behind the glass display.

"Hey…," Lelouch put a hand on the boy's shoulder, "How have you been?"

The boy whirled around and was about to cup his hands over Lelouch's neck with a merciless look on his face, when his violet eyes recognized Lelouch's face. The boy's hands dropped uselessly to the boy's sides as the boy narrowed his eyes at him.

"You shouldn't sneak up on me like that," the boy said monotonously.

With a hand towards his neck, Lelouch gulped, "…I see."

Was it some kind of magnetic attraction that brought Lelouch to the people with killer-fast reactions?

"Well, um, this is Milly," Lelouch motioned to the apprehensive girl by his side, "she's my friend from school. Ah, I never did introduce myself last week, did I? I'm Lelouch."

Milly smiled brightly at the wary boy, "Nice to meet you."

"…Rolo," the boy answered quietly, before returning to his glaring at the window display.

Well, at least Lelouch didn't have to keep referring to him as 'the boy'. It was progress.

The two Ashford Academy students stood awkwardly by Rolo, before Lelouch cleared his throat and said to Milly, "We met at the church on Saturday when Nunnally's choir was practising. Rolo's a nice kid. A bit shy. Doesn't like choir music very much, though."

Noticing the slight widening of eyes from Rolo at Lelouch's compliments, Milly smiled to herself. "You are so sweet, Lulu. Have you introduced him to Nunnally?"

"Not yet," Lelouch answered. He turned to Rolo, who was still stubbornly focused on the instrument window display when it was obvious that he was listening, "Rolo, how would you like to meet my younger sister tomorrow when you stop by the choir practice? I'm sure she'd love to convince you to open up to her love of music."

Rolo continued staring at the display before his mouth slowly twitched open. "I don't know… I may be busy with preparations for an appointment."

"Oh, that's too bad. If you find any free time in your schedule, you should come," Lelouch offered.

"Lulu won't bite," Milly joined in, happy to assist.

She loved seeing this side of Lelouch, the side that seemed to open up around Nunnally and anything to do with music. No matter how much her vice-president tried to hide it, Milly knew that he loved any opportunity to open Nunnally's world. It was a bit obvious that Lelouch was hoping to help Nunnally make a new friend, and to get this Rolo kid to be more social. Most likely, Rolo reminded Lelouch of his sister with that soft face.

Except that Nunnally was always smiling, and Rolo… looked devoid of life, save for the few sparks Milly saw in his eyes whenever Lelouch spoke to him.

After several minutes, Rolo did not answer.

Lelouch looked over to the source of Rolo's attention. A beautifully hand-crafted cello was sitting in the display window, perfect and newborn to a musician's touch. Lelouch's eyes softened.

"That cello is top quality. You have good eyes," Lelouch remarked. "Is that what you used to play?"

Startled, Rolo stiffened.

Beside him, Milly smiled inwardly. Lelouch could be very insightful.

"I'm sure you were a good musician. I hope you get to play it again, someday, after you get over your self-proclaimed hatred for music," Lelouch said softly.

Milly could sense the undertones of Lelouch's own past in that sentence. She wondered if Lelouch played any instrument, and if he was speaking from experience of some kind.

The boy looked down, "… I have to go."

Then he left.

Now Milly wasn't the student council president and Lelouch's self-proclaimed confidant for nothing. She glanced at Lelouch, "You used to hate music too, didn't you?"

"Shut up, Milly."

Watching the small blush on her friend's face made Milly grin wider. Now she was really curious to meet this Suzaku Kururugi, and see how this particular 'stray' was able to make her friend that much happier.

* * *

" _Clovis La Britannia,_

_Let's play a game. I'm coming to kill you in one week's time. If you can find out who I really am behind this mask or if you can thwart my plan, I'll spare your life. If not, then I win, and I kill you._

_I hope you can keep this mildly entertaining._

_I want my revenge to be very sweet._

_Zero."_

The 3rd prince of the Holy Britannian Empire had received this letter a mere four and a half days ago. Now, according to this anonymous letter which had somehow made it through security into Clovis's personal bathroom on the mirror, he had two and a half more days to live. He would die by this 'Zero's' hands on Monday.

It made the blond prince sweat in his sheets, afraid to sleep.

If this Zero could sneak past all of his imperial guards and get into his bedroom, and personal bathroom just to send him that letter, undetected… then who knew what else this Zero was capable of? Clovis couldn't help but feel that this Zero was dangerous, having received many other strange messages from the mysterious man over the past four and a half days. These messages scared the wit out of Clovis and made him a hundred times more paranoid than he already was.

A knife, stained in blood, had ended up in Clovis' drawers in his private office, signed with a elegant script, reading 'Zero'. A few rose petals had ended up on Clovis' robes, all black in colour, with another note marked 'Zero'. When Clovis had walked into his heavily guarded painting gallery, he had found a giant portrait of himself (being gutted with a knife and decorated with black roses) hanging on the wall.

Clovis had screamed and called security once again. He refused to let word of these threats get to the public eye or ear. Instead, Clovis called his top agents to decipher any genetic evidence left on the clues given to him: the note, the roses, the knife, the painting. Nothing came up. There were no fingerprints, no eye lashes. Nothing. As nothing as the name 'Zero'.

It was as if this little self-proclaimed threat did not exist.

And it terrified Clovis, as if death were hanging off his shoulder.

At first he had been very dismissive about whole letter, with only an inkling of fear. But as the week went by, Clovis found himself growing more afraid, more worried as things were spinning out of control. This man.

How was he getting in and out of Clovis' headquarters without being noticed?

Was he a terrorist? Was he an enemy of the Royal Family with a grudge? Was he a threat? Yes. Clovis was sure of it. But was he even real?

How could Clovis guess the identity of a man who wasn't even there?

The prince gave another aggravated cry and climbed out of bed, pacing back and forth in his private rooms. He had stationed twice the amount of regular guards outside of his doors, and made sure to bar the windows. This Zero would not get another message in today.

It was hopeful thinking.

"Good evening, Clovis. I trust you are sleeping well," crept in a deep voice, which strung terror into Clovis' heart.

It was him.

Zero.

Clovis did not even need to turn around to confirm this. His shoulders tensed, as he willed himself to turn around and face the mysterious man.

Before him was a tall, almost 6-feet man who was adorned with a long flowing dark purple cape. The top of the cape was rimmed with gold, arched upwards, giving the man a more ominous presence. Where his face should have been, was a dark cold mask with no decorations of facial expression. It was a blank slate. Just a large black mask, which looked similar to a fencing helmet. There were no traces of facial expression.

"You…," Clovis stared hard at the ominous faceless mask of the man before him. He took a deep breath and looked sternly at him, "How did you get in here? Guards!"

"They won't hear you, _your highness_ ," the man bowed low towards him, gloved arm outstretched. He was mocking him, and Clovis knew it.

"Guards!" Clovis shouted more hoarsely again, "Get in here!"

"They won't hear you, your highness. It's just you and me." The masked man said calmly. "I have another gift for you."

"No… no, stay away from me. What do you want?" Clovis stuttered, knowing fully well that he was at this man's mercy. His hand searched his pockets for his gun.

Zero twirled the very gun that Clovis was looking for in his fingers. "Is this what you're looking for, your highness? Dear me… they don't teach you proper etiquette back in the homeland, do they? It's quite rude to shoot at guests."

"You're no guest! I want you out of here!"

"Don't worry, I won't kill you. That wasn't part of the game, was it?" Zero stepped closer, the gun still twirling around his fingers. "Like I said, I'm here to deliver your daily gift in person. I'm sure you enjoyed my painting… one of the many ways I've considered killing you…"

"…You… You… what do you want?" Clovis demanded again, sinking to his knees. "What have I done to you?"

"Ah… you and the Royal Family… the fact that _his_ blood runs through your veins is the sole reason I want to kill you all. You have wronged me so many times… Of course, personally, I hate you quite a lot, _Clovis_ ," The man said to him. "You were part of the project after all…"

"Project?" Clovis muttered, "What project?"

"And that, dear Clovis, was the hint to who I am."

Before Clovis could move, the window was shattered to pieces. Zero had escaped, triggering the alarm (on purpose, Clovis knew) and causing guards to swarm into Clovis' room. But the prince stood gaping at the shattered window, and the new gift that Zero had brought him.

It was a flag of Britannia, hanging from the ceiling.

And it was burning.

* * *

"Gino Weinberg, I will not tolerate this vendetta of yours."

Suiting up, and sharpening a knife, Gino spoke into the cell phone, "V.V., I tire of your orders. Rolo and I are branching away from your group. Good bye."

"You will regret this, you need me, you—"

The phone clicked shut. The boss was done with. Gino knew that if Zero captured him after his duel with Kallen and Suzaku, after he killed them for Anya, that Zero would try to question him about V.V., his boss. Gino had no intention of being dragged into their lies and deceit. He knew where he stood right now.

He'd kill Suzaku and Kallen at the duel tomorrow with Rolo's help.

And then he'd kill himself. He'd join Anya in whatever hell she was in right now.

 

Walk On In

Extra Scene: Takes place in chapter 3

"Lelouch, I was wondering if you knew where I could put my bag…?" the Japanese Biker's voice trailed off as he walked into the boy's room, only to find it still cluttered in pizza boxes and bottles of nail polish.

The sight that greeted him was a glorious one to behold.

Nunnally Lamperouge, the sweet younger sister of Lelouch Lamperouge, was busy humming to herself as she painted her older brother's toenails in a beautiful shade of light lavender. Off to the side, Lelouch sat in his chair; hand on his chin in a slight scowl. But his violet eyes were as gentle as ever as he stared at his sister. Off to the side, C.C. flipped through an anime magazine.

Suzaku, who now knew the lengths that Lelouch would go through to make his sister happy, started to burst out laughing for the umpteenth time that day. "You… are… too cute… Oh my god…"

All of the occupants in the room looked up to take in his presence.

"Ah, is Suzaku here?" Nunnally's fingers paused on Lelouch's big toe.

The lavender nail-polished toes shined back at Suzaku, who had to admit that seeing Lelouch's poised feet were a bit of a turn-on. He fought back a blush, wondering if he was just Lelouch-obsessed or something.

"What's so funny, Suzaku?" Lelouch growled out, looking the farthest from terrifying.

"Nothing… it's… its really cool. I like them," Suzaku said.

To his pleasure, the boy just turned away, his cheeks tinged pink. Suzaku glowed.

C.C. smirked up at him, looking up from the glossy cover of her magazine, "Well then, I'm sure Kururugi won't object to having a few nails painted himself, now would he? What do you think, Nunnally?"

To his horror, Nunnally nodded excitedly, "Oh yes. That would be wonderful!"

"Uh… I'm not really a nail polish kind of guy, I'll have to…"

"Oh no, Suzaku," C.C. pulled him down with surprisingly strong force, "here, pick a colour… we have a lovely range of pinks and reds…"

Growing a bit pale, and wondering what Kallen and the rest of the Black Knights would say about the great Ace Suzaku being subjected to pedicures, Suzaku fought the urge to vomit. This was not good. He did not want his toes or fingers painted at all. But he didn't want to upset Nunnally, who had one intimidating puppy dog stare… and C.C. was pretty damn manipulative.

As Suzaku eyed the hot pink nail polish bottle, he felt even sicker.

Lightly, Suzaku felt a finger tap his shoulder and looked up to see Lelouch clearing his throat, head down, as he handed the biker a bottle of jade-green nail polish. Seeing Suzaku's speechless gaze, the boy averted his eyes and mumbled, "It matches your eyes."

With that, Suzaku promptly shut up and shoved the jade-green nail polish in C.C.'s (smirking) and knowing face, with a big goofy grin on his face.

The next day, when Suzaku took off his socks to practice some martial arts moves on a mat with Kallen, the other Black Knights Ace had to go excuse herself to go laugh in the solitary comfort of the bathroom.

"He painted his damn toenails!"


	5. Chapter 4: Appointment

"Remember the day we met V.V.?"

Rolo looked up, his concentration on the task of polishing his knife broken. The steely violet gaze that Rolo gave the other assassin in turn spoke of his irritancy. Before Anya died, Gino would've just given him a smile and tried to coax Rolo into socializing despite his wariness of the boy. But now, with Anya gone, Gino was like a puppet following the strings towards Anya and sure death. His once lively eyes were dead set with vengeance alone and a deep emptiness that was the opposite of everything Gino was.

Right now, as Rolo deciphered the strange emotions welling up inside him, the boy realized that he was feeling in despair as well. Not just for Anya, but for Gino… because Rolo felt like he was losing the only thing closest to companions he'd ever had, to this thing called death. It was very unfamiliar to this emotionless boy, who had sworn off human companionship, to feel such a loss and sadness for anyone's welfare. The tinge did not go away, in fact it worsened as Rolo looked up to meet Gino's sullen eyes.

"You and Anya… you guys didn't talk much but I tried…," Gino went on, regardless of Rolo's typical silence, "and eventually Anya and I became really close. I promised to protect her with all my life…"

Another uncomfortable twinge twisted the blood in his heart and Rolo wondered why this topic was bothering him so much. He'd cared about Anya as well, for she had been a tolerable [partner](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5321256/5/Walk_On_In). The relationship between Anya and Gino had always been… comforting to Rolo, the silent shadow who followed them and did what he wished. It was during Gino's mourning that Rolo realized what an anchor it had been for him.

It had made him feel like… maybe; just maybe… the three of them could've been… [a family](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5321256/5/Walk_On_In).

He paused and smiled bitterly at Rolo, "I guess you never know what you have until it's gone. I never realized how much you [both](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5321256/5/Walk_On_In) meant to me… and now I'm risking both of our lives to live out my vendetta. I'm sorry Rolo."

"No."

Gino blinked as Rolo stood up firmly, the first hint of emotion that he had ever seen from the monosyllabic boy.

"…Rolo?" He asked tentatively, temporarily shocked by the boy's outburst.

It wasn't until Rolo had to take another deep breath that he realized that he was shaking with bubbling determination, the same vendetta for Anya that Gino possessed, except that it was for both Gino and Anya. Rolo glared down hard at Gino.

"Don't be sorry. I want to kill them too."

And he did. He wanted to make this Suzaku [pay](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5321256/5/Walk_On_In) for breaking up their quiet harmony and solace in killing. He wanted to punish these black knights for making Gino a walking dead-man and for erasing Anya off the face of the earth. He wanted to kill them, for making him feel abandoned all over again, as if he was the only one left out of the three of them who was truly alive again, for the first time.

He wanted to slay them, for making him realize that he could _care_ again.

Maybe it was Anya's death, maybe it was Gino's melancholy transformation from being a bright individual to this bitter man, maybe it was knowing that some Numbered biker was able to get the best of his 'family' and maybe… maybe it was that boy. Lelouch. Maybe it was in that boy's promises. His words.

All Rolo knew was, suddenly, he wasn't very emotionless anymore.

He cared.

And he was going to help Gino avenge Anya, no matter what.

**Walk On In**

**-4- Appointment**

Normally Suzaku Kururugi was a very deep sleeper, which explained why he didn't usually wake up after he punched or kicked Lelouch out of the bed in his sleep. No matter what happened, Suzaku slept like a rock, until his internal clock woke him up first thing at six in the morning, just in time to greet Lelouch's latest complaint. He was one of those people who couldn't complain about being tired because he never was. His body always recharged him in his sleep with the energy to fight another day.

However, tonight was different; he couldn't sleep at all out of nervous energy and anticipation. Tomorrow evening, he and Kallen would face off against Gino Weinberg and Rolo, who chose to go by no last name. There was no telling what the outcome would be. Though Suzaku was confident in his abilities as one of Zero's aces, he knew that Gino and Rolo were among the best of fighters. It had been pure luck that Suzaku had been able to escape his apartment the night that Anya and Gino had attacked him—pure luck that one of the knives he'd thrown had actually hit Anya in the chest.

Sadly, the truth was, no matter how skilled one was in the martial arts… chance always had the biggest hand to play in terms of fate.

Suzaku wasn't scared, per say… but more wary. He was aware of the limitations of his skills, and even more so, those of his enemies. Gino and Rolo were not simple Britannian soldiers. No, they were assassins, the most skilled that Suzaku ever had the pleasure of meeting. So Suzaku wasn't scared… he was excited to test his strength against those of the same level as himself. Suzaku felt the most alive when he was fighting, drawing blood. His most vicious and robotic side came out then, a tool at the hand of Zero.

The energy pent up within him did no good as he tossed and turned under his sheets, careful not to nudge the slumbering boy at his side. With a sigh of impatience, Suzaku rolled back over to face Lelouch, watching the student's peaceful expression as he slept. As always, when he stared at Lelouch's pale face, the rigidness of Suzaku's form relaxed visibly. Already, he felt much better just from being near Lelouch.

Sometimes, when Lelouch fell fast asleep and Suzaku was sure that the boy was deep in slumber, Suzaku would roll Lelouch over just to stare at his face, and then fall asleep himself with a smile on his face. He couldn't remember being more well-rested in any other dwelling. When he had lived with Toudou and the other Four Holy Swords he had always been awaken by paranoia or vengeful dreams filled with his father. After Toudou had died… well, Suzaku had slept many dreamless nights, awoken by even the smallest noise.

Then he met Zero.

After that, Suzaku could sleep soundly again, as deep as possible without making a sound. But he still had a hard time getting to sleep… Lelouch solved that problem by just being there. Suzaku grinned again, pressing his cheek against his pillow. With Lelouch, Suzaku was calm and carefree—he felt like he could do anything. He wasn't really sure why, but it didn't bother him. He didn't ask questions, he sat back and enjoyed the ride to wherever Lelouch took him.

His eyes drooped slightly, exhaustion finally weaving its spell upon the restless biker, when Lelouch's arm stretched out groggily and grabbed his shirt.

"…Lelouch?" Suzaku murmured in surprise.

"…Mm… I need… some milk…," Lelouch muttered sleepily, his half-closed eyelids telling Suzaku that the boy was not in the right state of mind and most likely still half-asleep.

"Milk?" He tried not to laugh. Suzaku was pretty sure that Lelouch had meant to say 'coffee' instead, seeing as Lelouch wasn't exactly the type of person who would drink milk in the middle of the night. But he decided to humour the tired boy. "Are you sure you want… milk?"

The heated glare that Lelouch gave him under the covers would've been quite effective if not for the tousled ebony locks of hair and the cheese-kun plushie squished between his arms. Suzaku was sure that C.C. had bought that second plushie on purpose and planted into the bed for Lelouch to snuggle with ("I do not snuggle, Suzaku. At all," the Britannian had huffed. When Suzaku had not stopped laughing, he had thrown a pillow in his face).

"Do you… _want_ me… to drink coffee or something?" He mumbled against Cheese-kun, not realizing what he was holding, "The last thing… I need… is caffeine…"

Trying not to fall back asleep, Lelouch slumped forward and tried to feel his way to the floor. However, in his present state, Lelouch could only manage to place his feet on to the carpet before falling flat on his face, too tired to stand up.

Fighting to hide an amused smile, Suzaku sat right up and put his arms around the half-asleep boy, "Ok, I'll come down to the kitchen and get some for you. You just stay in bed, Lelouch."

Lips together stubbornly, the younger boy merely shook his head, black hair becoming more tousled. As if he hadn't even heard Suzaku's offer, Lelouch continued on his journey to the doorknob, tugging Suzaku's sleeve along with him.

Suzaku's green eyes warmed considerably, reading into what this sleepy boy was telling him.

 _Come with me_.

He could only happily comply, meeting knowing violet eyes.

The two boys stumbled down the steps together, Suzaku supporting Lelouch by the shoulder so that the boy wouldn't trip and fall down the stairs. He'd be damned if he ever let Lelouch fall. In the silence of the Lamperouge Household, the silent ticking of the clock on the wall and the gentle shadows which fell upon the kitchen counter, it felt as if they were the only two people living in this house. Suzaku felt the warmth from Lelouch's body gratefully, as he guided the boy to the refrigerator and then watched fondly as Lelouch pried the door open and took out a carton of skim milk.

Lelouch opened the carton and sniffed it first to check for signs of expiration. Then he closed the fridge door and groped around the drawers for a glass to pour it in. While he did this, in his crumpled pyjamas and half-opened eyelids, Suzaku couldn't help but feel elated, content.

The sound of milk filling up a glass cup was the only thing to fill the silence. Lelouch opened the fridge and returned the carton into its proper place. Then he sighed out.

"So, why are you up?" Lelouch asked him, a lot more alert after downing some of the cold liquid into his throat.

Blinking in confusion, Suzaku could only stare incredulously. "…What do you mean?"

Setting the glass down against the counter, Lelouch sighed, "You haven't slept at all tonight have you? Is it because of what I told you this morning about my family? Just forget about it, I didn't mean to bother you with my personal history or anything."

Just as Lelouch looked away, Suzaku spoke up, "No! It's not that, Lelouch!"

Leaning against the counter in perfect posture, Lelouch raised an eyebrow.

"Er, well…," he grinned sheepishly, "it's just gang stuff. Nothing about you. I told you that I like hearing about you, didn't I? Besides… I was kind of glad that you opened up to me this morning…"

If it wasn't for the darkness, Suzaku could've sworn that Lelouch had had a slight pink twinge on his face.

"…Idiot," he spluttered.

But Suzaku could tell from the warm tone, that 'idiot' was more of a term of endearment towards him. He grinned again, if it was Lelouch, he could be called an 'idiot' every day and not mind. It was one of the things that pulled him towards the boy.

"…So what kind of gang stuff, if you're allowed to say…?" Lelouch inquired quietly.

Suzaku hesitated. Should he really be talking about this with Lelouch? It wasn't as if he didn't trust him, but Black Knights business was meant to stay as Black Knights business. He wanted to keep his gang-soon-to-be-terrorist life as separate as possible from Lelouch, for both their sakes. He didn't even want to begin to think about the complications that would arise should Lelouch find out about his other life.

The thought that scared him most… what if Lelouch sided with the Britannians after all?

No… it was best not to mention anything. Just be vague as possible and tred carefully around Lelouch. If he could keep Lelouch safe from the darker sides of the Tokyo settlement, then he would. He would never dream of endangering Lelouch's life by telling him about who he really was. It was too risky.

Carefully, Suzaku answered, "… just a friendly fight, that's all."

Even in the dimly lit kitchen, Suzaku could see Lelouch rolling his eyes. "I doubt it's just 'friendly' if it's got _you_ lying awake over it."

Wrinkling his nose, Suzaku snorted.

Another sigh from Lelouch echoed through the kitchen.

"… Just be careful, alright?"

Shocked by the sincere comment, Suzaku whipped around to see Lelouch looking back at him seriously. The concern was apparent… and the understanding.

"I will, don't worry."

"Who would worry about an idiot like you?" Lelouch joked, setting the empty glass of milk into the sink to clean later. "You're extremely reckless. But, I guess… that's not necessarily a bad thing." He turned to leave the kitchen, "Next time you've got a 'friendly fight' brewing, try not to lose sleep over it."

The biker shook his head happily and followed him out. On their way up the stairs, it occurred to Suzaku that he hadn't asked Lelouch why he had needed a glass of milk at all, or why he had awoken.

"…Lelouch?"

Pausing mid-step, Lelouch tilted his head at him inquiringly, "Yes?"

"Why were _you_ up? Did I kick you accidentally again or something?" Suzaku asked, worried.

Unexpectedly, Lelouch only gave him a fond chuckle, "… I guess I just can't fall asleep anymore knowing _you're_ still awake. So, do me a favour, and stop your temporary insomnia so that _I_ can get some rest too."

Suzaku couldn't help but think it was just a very Lelouch-way of telling him that Lelouch had been kept wide awake worrying about him.

But he kept that thought, precious as it was, to himself.

* * *

In the morning, when Lelouch woke up, Suzaku was not there.

Instead, when Lelouch was done with brushing his teeth and taking care of his morning routines, he found a thermos of steaming coffee and a plate of biscuits waiting for him on his bedside table, where his alarm was. A small note, written upon by scrawled writing, was folded neatly by the plate. Lelouch also noticed that a number of Suzaku's things, usually thrown by Lelouch's bed in no particular order, were missing as well.

Quietly, Lelouch picked up the note in between his fingers and read: _Hey Lelouch. I had to run out early for some preparations for some gang stuff today. Sorry I can't come see your sister sing at choir, I'll try to come next week. Hey, don't glare at the note—_ Lelouch couldn't help it, he did glare— _I left you some coffee! Ohgi taught me how to make your favourite blend. I hope you like it. See you tonight. Suzaku._

Lelouch rolled his eyes and tucked the note away in his drawers, eying the cup of coffee suspiciously. It was in a thermos, yet still relatively warm. Lelouch guessed that Suzaku had left not long ago for whatever 'gang stuff' he had to do. He couldn't help but be a little annoyed with the Japanese Biker. Suzaku had promised to come and listen to Nunnally sing…

Sighing, Lelouch opened the thermos and took a sip. He smiled.

It was good.

* * *

Tensions hadn't been so high within his tea shop since the first time they had attempted to steal from the Britannian military under Zero's guidance. Ohgi didn't know what to expect from this whole appointment between Kallen, Suzaku, Gino and Rolo. In all honesty, the whole thing only made Ohgi extremely apprehensive, especially concerning Kallen's safety. Would she be alright, mentally, with facing the partner of her brother's killer?

It had been a long time since Naoto died, and back then, Ohgi felt that parts of Kallen and her mother had died along with him. But Kallen's mother had now taken refuge in Refrain, lying stoically in a hospital bed where her daughter visited when she could. Whenever Ohgi accompanied Kallen to the Tokyo Settlement hospital, it hurt just to look at them. And to think, that Naoto had entrusted Kallen's wellbeing to him of all people…

He wondered if it would be this painful to be a father someday.

To his left, Ohgi heard the clanging of a bell as the shop door swung open. Suzaku had arrived on time, though the absence of the Britannian student he usually followed was plain. A familiar pair of sunglasses sat perched upon the biker's nose while he chewed on a smoking cigarette. Immediately, Suzaku went to the counter, sitting at one of the stools closest to where Ohgi was pondering.

Ohgi glanced at Suzaku warily, he hadn't seen Suzaku smoke in a week—that had been a record. It was kind of odd to see him revert back to his bad habit, it seemed as though Suzaku couldn't resist the pull of nicotine for long. Or maybe the absence of cigarettes had had something to do with another factor that Ohgi had yet to find out. Still, it nerved Ohgi to see Suzaku back in his full 'gangster' garb once more. It was a sign of the appointment that Kallen and Suzaku could soon have to face in the evening.

Automatically, Ohgi prepared Suzaku's breakfast, free of charge, knowing that the boy would only eat Japanese food. Suzaku was very picky when it came to Britannian cuisine, another sign of his hatred towards the oppressing empire that ruled over Area 11. A bowl of white rice and some steamed fish was already prepared. Ohgi quickly placed it before Suzaku along with a pair of bamboo chopsticks.

Suzaku nodded appreciatively at Ohgi, muttering some blessings before digging into his breakfast hungrily. Ohgi smiled.

"So, where's Lelouch this morning?" Ohgi asked him, it always felt odd not to see his regular customer on Saturdays. Ohgi enjoyed talking to him, even if he did use him for tactical strategy ideas from time to time.

"His younger sister has choir every Saturday, so Lelouch accompanies her to it," Suzaku mumbled between bites of rice.

That was right; Ohgi had forgotten that Lelouch had mentioned such a thing in one of their conversations. It made him smile, picturing the stubborn Britannian as a similar person to Naoto when it came to protecting his little sister.

"It's probably for the best anyways… I don't want Lelouch getting wind of the duel happening today. I guess I should thank Gino for choosing a Saturday of all days…," Suzaku's eyes glittered with darkness.

His eyes dimmed at the comment. He had almost forgotten that Lelouch wasn't one of them, again. It happened frequently when that boy was concerned. Lelouch was such a usual visitor every morning that sometimes Ohgi imagined that he was part of the Black Knights himself. But that would be ridiculous notion wouldn't it? There was no way that they could, or even would, convince an innocent teenager to join them—and he was Britannian no less, no matter what Ohgi thought of him.

Besides, he would hate for Lelouch to get caught up in the future bloodshed that Zero was preparing for the Britannian Empire. It would be best not to get civilians thrown into the rebellion. They were better off living their lives in a bubble of ignorance.

He nodded, "I guess we should be careful on Monday not to say too much about the Lancelot operation…"

"I will," Suzaku's words were firm, as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve, giving Ohgi a view of his softened green eyes, "… I won't let Lelouch get involved."

Now Ohgi wasn't usually too perceptive when it came to these things… but he could've sworn that Suzaku had just radiated an aura of affection towards Lelouch at the moment. Ohgi thought back to Suzaku's strange interest with Lelouch that had begun half a year ago. They were just friends… right? Yes, that was right. Ohgi was probably just imagining things.

Still… Suzaku had gotten a lot closer to Lelouch over the past week…

"Suzaku!" Kallen stormed through the door, landing her bottom on the seat in agitation. "Hurry up and eat! We've got to go train, and then we have to go meet Zero and Rakshata before we go to our 'appointment'. We don't have all day, you know!"

She punched Suzaku on the shoulder, just for good measure. Her playful smirk showed nothing but absolute confidence. Ohgi wished that he could have as much faith as she did about this upcoming appointment… it merely made him rethink all of this Zero business.

"I got it, I got it," Suzaku swallowed the last morsels of his meal instantly, setting the empty bowl down with his chopsticks. "We'll go right now."

"Hurry up! I can barely wait until I get to punch Weinberg's face up for what he and his partner have done to me! Go grab your keys, let's get to the warehouse!"

As the two boisterous aces walked out of the store, Ohgi couldn't help but pray for their safety. He hoped he had made the right decision in joining the Black Knights, and that Kallen would be alright with Suzaku.

* * *

"Ah, Lelouch!" The choir master's assistant, Shirley, had been looking all over for the blasé teenager in the young crowd after the choir practise had concluded. Upon spotting Lelouch sitting on the church steps chatting with his sister Nunnally, who was above where he was sitting, in her wheelchair, Shirley had run over to her friend-and-love-interest with haste, her heart beating a little too fast for her liking.

Looking up imploringly, with Arthur purring on his lap, Lelouch gave a small smile. "Shirley. How are you?"

She beamed at him. "Just fine. What did you think of today's practise?"

It was one of the things Shirley loved about Lelouch, how he appreciated vocal music to the core—a true lover of the classics. The best thing about choir practise was seeing Lelouch's eyes light up slightly every time he talked to Nunnally and herself about their choir's voices. Seeing that precious sight lit up Shirley's day—something she treasured for herself. She liked to think that she was special, one of the only privileged people who could see that smile.

As predicted, Lelouch was in a good mood, smiling contently at her in between his conversation with Nunnally, "It was great. I really liked what you and Mrs. Fenette did with the alto voices and the descant. Of course, Nunnally always sounds the best."

Shirley gave a giggle, "You're so biased, Lelouch."

"Hmph," Lelouch waved it off, listening to Nunnally and Shirley giggle together. They both knew it was his way of saying that yes, when it came to Nunnally, he was expected to be biased. "It's true, you know."

As if to agree, Arthur meowed up at his owner.

"Onii-sama, you're embarrassing me," Nunnally giggled, but accepted the praise anyways. "If you insist on such a thing, then I guess it'll be that much easier for me to rise up in the ranks as a talented singer some day! But of course, Onii-sama has to be by my side the whole time… maybe as an errand boy?"

"More like your manager," the other sibling gave his usual rebuttal.

"Maybe you can be my back-up singer!" Nunnally clapped her hands together.

Huffing jokingly, Lelouch retorted, "If you don't want your millions of fans to tear away at the sight of me, I suggest you get someone else."

"You're just shy, Onii-sama," Nunnally teased him. "Don't you know how many girls would line up to hear your voice? I bet Shirley would pay to see you sing."

"Huh?" Shirley exclaimed, blushing bright red.

She had been so engrossed within their cute sibling-like conversation that she had practically forgotten that she was even there with them. Highly embarrassed by Nunnally's tinkling laughter and Lelouch's curious look, Shirley puffed her cheeks and pushed Nunnally lightly on the shoulder, making sure to ruffle the younger girl's hair.

It was a wonder that the three of them (four, if you counted Arthur) even noticed the lone pair that had slowly approached them from the looming trees surrounding the church. The carefree atmosphere the two siblings were in made it almost impossible to take notice of anything else. But Lelouch still had his old habits of paranoia, things that still leaked into his ordinary life every day. The exiled prince calmed the natural reflex to jolt to his feet and rush his sister away from the two strangers. He merely went quiet instead, and was mildly surprised to see who it was.

"Rolo," Lelouch felt a grin sneak up on him. He had been hoping that the boy would show up. Maybe he and Nunnally could strike up a good friendship and the boy could learn to be less gloomy about music.

"Onii-sama?" Nunnally looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Oh… uh, nice to meet you," Shirley straightened herself up and straightened out her skirt, "I'm Shirley Fenette, the choir master's daughter and assistant. Are you two friends with Lelouch?"

Inspecting the two up and down, Shirley found that one was tall, blond and handsome. However, he seemed to emanate an aura of depression and gloom. The other one was shorter. Shirley guessed that if Nunnally had the use of her legs, she and the one Lelouch addressed as Rolo would be the same height. The boy seemed to be colder than the blond man, but his gaze was fixed on Lelouch. Actually, both of them seemed fixated on Lelouch…

Speaking of which, Lelouch was gaping up at the blond man, who in turn was also staring incredulously at him.

Shirley frowned. Lelouch rarely got so worked up over a mere stranger. Was something wrong? She was about to say something when Lelouch got up and grabbed Rolo and the other man around the wrists.

"Sorry, Shirley. Can you tell Sayoko-san to take Nunnally home for me? I have some business to attend too. See you at school," Lelouch said hurriedly, while dragging the two strangers out of the church with him, in a surprising display of sudden strength. Arthur the cat, for once, did not follow his master. The cat merely curled up on Nunnally's lap instead and purred contently.

Who were those two? Why did Lelouch seem so disturbed to see the blond man, enough to leave Nunnally alone with her and Sayoko? Something was going on and Shirley didn't like it…

Nunnally tugged on Shirley's sleeve, "Is Onii-sama ok, Shirley? He sounded a bit hysterical…"

The girl smiled down gently at the Lelouch's little sister, putting her hand on hers. That was right. In this position, it merely showed how much Lelouch trusted her, enough to let her take care of Nunnally until Sayoko came. She had to stay strong for them both. Why be worried? She smiled again, though this time, it was more genuine.

"Don't worry. Lulu will be fine…"

* * *

Lelouch didn't know what to expect from him when he had dragged the two into the church garden, which had been deserted. It had been years since Lelouch had seen him, and that time had not been accompanied by 'happy' memories. The last time Lelouch had seen the knight… the very young prodigy of a knight, was on the boat to escape Britannia… the boat his mother died on… the boat that Lelouch had thought everyone else had died on as well…

"Prince Lelouch!" Gino cried out, tackling Lelouch in a strangling hug.

This made Rolo jerk back in shock (Finally, more emotions on his face, thought Lelouch.) and Lelouch spluttered from lack of breath, "G-Gino…!"

It seemed that Gino had not broken his annoying habit of spinning Lelouch around in circles within much detested hugs. Unfortunately for Lelouch, it was even worse as Gino had bigger and stronger arms now, which were crushing the fragile ex-prince.

"I thought you were dead! And Princess Nunnally as well! It's such a relief to see you alive! I have a _purpose_ in life again!" Gino swung around in circles, still holding Lelouch's face against his chest, "And to think, you were Rolo's new friend! How perfect! Anya would be so happy!"

Anya? _Would_? As in past tense? Was the world getting fuzzier by the second?

"…GINO!" Lelouch cried out, "I… can't… BREATHE!"

"Oh," said-knight looked down and realized the ex-prince's predicament. Then he let go of Lelouch rather reluctantly. "Sorry."

Rubbing his sore muscles, Lelouch scowled, "You can't go around just shouting my title like that. What if people find out? Look! There's a witness!" he pointed at Rolo, who was not offended at all by the gesture.

"Aw, but Rolo's the only family I've got yet… besides you and the princess, now," Gino pouted. His face darkened to such intensity that it disturbed even Lelouch. Then Gino gripped his arms tightly on Lelouch's shoulders, beginning to tear up considerably, "I… I'm just glad that you're alive…"

Guilt, along with other mixed emotions that Lelouch couldn't really be bothered to identify, flowed into his chest. The Gino that he remembered from his childhood had been happy and vibrant, determined to protect himself and Nunnally. What had happened to that young prodigy of a knight? Who was this man, so transformed by a grief that Lelouch could relate to all too well… It felt like the grief… over a loved one.

Another pang filled Lelouch's chest and then he awkwardly put his arms on Gino's back in a soothing motion.

"Please… don't cry, Gino… You're supposed to be one of the prodigy knights of the round with Anya…," Lelouch said quietly. He paused, "Anya… is she…?"

The quiet sobs stopped and from the corner of Lelouch's eye, he saw Rolo tense his fingers.

"Killed," Gino spat out.

Lelouch's eyes widened as words of despair slipped from his mouth, "No… on the boat…?"

Gino's face hardened, "No. We survived the shipwreck, your highness," he ignored the hiss he got from Lelouch for referring to Lelouch's royal status, "She was killed about a week ago. It's a long story and an old life that Rolo and I are putting an end to, today," Gino said wearily. "This reminds me that we have to get ready for that appointment…"

The ends on Lelouch's skin began to crawl as he heard Gino's low tone of voice.

"An appointment…?" Lelouch asked carefully.

Both Gino and Rolo shared a look that made Lelouch's skin crawl.

Gino looked intently at Lelouch, before smiling. He clapped a hand on Lelouch's shoulder, "Nothing that my prince needs to know of. As of tomorrow, I will never have to deal with it again and I will return to serving you and Princess Nunnally as per the late Empress Marianne's orders. Of course, with your permission, I'd like to bring Rolo with me as well."

The ex-prince blinked, for this was too much to handle. Then he scowled. "Gino, I told you not to call me 'Prince Lelouch'. Just 'Lelouch' will be fine. 'Prince Lelouch' died years ago in that shipwreck… I'm Lelouch Lamperouge, an ordinary Britannian student."

"Fine, yes… but, please… we've got no where to go… and no purpose. I just want to return to protecting you again. Can we stay with you?" Gino pleaded.

Once again, the dark emotions dancing in Gino's eyes disturbed Lelouch. They were too dark, too miserable… and they reminded the ex-prince of the grief that he himself suffered when his mother had died… and still suffered.

Lelouch sighed, putting his hand to his forehead. Then he turned to boy listening intently beside them, "Rolo… are you ok with this? Do… you swear to keep my identity a secret?"

Rolo seemed mildly surprised, and looked coolly at Lelouch, as if he didn't even have to ask. "I have nothing else to lose."

"See? It's fine. I'll look out for him. He'll be my responsibility. If he says anything about you and Nunnally being royalty, I'll shoot him myself," said Gino very quickly.

Again, the prince sighed, knowing that his walls were being grated down. Normally, Lelouch would decline such requests (especially now that he had Suzaku living under his room and there were not nearly enough rooms to put people in…) but this was _Gino_. The knight had been a good friend back in Lelouch's childhood, an idiot, but a good friend.

Surely Jeremiah and Sayoko could make another exception…

But Lelouch didn't know if Gino was truly loyal to him or not. Lelouch didn't know what Gino had been up too for the past nine or eight years. It was dangerous. This was Gino though, and Lelouch could read the knight easily. Yes, Gino and Rolo seemed to be hiding something, but they were being honest so far. Plus, Lelouch still wanted to talk to Rolo about the cello and maybe get him and Nunnally to be friends…

There was nothing wrong with that, was there?

Lelouch could just hear Sayoko calling him too trusting once more. He only sighed, because he knew she was right.

"Alright then… I'll write down my address," Lelouch hesitated, before continuing on, "and I can give you a telephone number… I'll have Sayoko-san or Jeremiah-kun pick you up when you're ready to move. I expect Rolo to keep quiet about my identity… he's your responsibility."

"Thank you so much, Lelouch!"

"Hey, wait _Gino_ —"

Rolo winced as the two tumbled to the ground, for Gino had launched himself into Lelouch, wrapping the sour student into a bone-crushing hug (and also reminding Lelouch of a certain idiot by the name of Suzaku).

 _Urgh… I am getting too soft…_ Lelouch thought to himself.

* * *

When he came home later to get a change of clothes (The weather had become cooler as the day went on, and Lelouch absolutely hated the cold.) Sayoko was busy polishing the kitchen floors. The maid smiled when she saw her charge. However, that smile melted into a frown as she stood back on her feet and picked up her bucket of soapy water.

"Hello, Sayoko-san… I'm just getting my coat before I go do the grocery shopping," Lelouch told her as he rushed past the dining table, holding his wallet and with half of his black jacket on.

"Wait, Lelouch-sama," Sayoko called out to him.

Pausing in mid-step, one foot already out of the door way as Lelouch struggled to get his arm into the remaining sleeve of his jacket, he replied, "Yes, Sayoko-san? What is it?"

The maid bowed her head slightly, "Nunnally-sama was wondering if you knew when that woman C.C. would be returning to the household. It seems that the woman's absence has been causing a great deal of worry and distress for your sister, Lelouch-sama. Though I don't approve of that woman staying here, I hope that you can find her, for Nunnally-sama's sake."

Lelouch frowned, "C.C. hasn't returned home yet?"

It had been the longest that the witch had stayed away. Perhaps something had happened to her after all… on the other hand, Lelouch didn't want to pry in her business. It didn't involve him. But if Nunnally was concerned, Lelouch wouldn't hesitate for a second. Besides, a tiny part of him was a little worried for the strange woman as well.

"I'll keep an eye out for her," Lelouch smiled, nearly out of the door.

"One more thing, Lelouch-sama!" Sayoko said urgently.

"…Sayoko-san?"

She locked gazes with him, " _He_ called earlier today. He wanted me to tell you that he's coming to visit... soon."

That was news—unwanted news. Lelouch scowled. "I thought I told him to stay out of Japan! He has no business to 'check up on me' as if he cares! When is he coming?"

"He informed me that his plane will be arriving in Japan on Monday for the unveiling of some sort of military project. He will be staying for a couple of weeks at most, but I don't know which specific day he will stop by our house."

"It's Schneizel…," Lelouch scowled again, "You never know."

* * *

"Zero!" Kallen straightened herself up as soon as the masked man walked into the training room, his boots clacking against the floor like marbles hitting the ground.

Across from her, Suzaku was breathing heavily, sweat streaming down his face and chest from training. His shirt was off and tossed aside to the ground. Kallen and Suzaku had been fighting in hand to hand combat for a while within one of the corners of the Black Knights' warehouse. There was a mat spread out on the floor, large enough to fit twenty gymnasts doing cartwheels. Weapons and guns lined the walls on a rack over head.

Both of Zero's aces shot straight up, standing attentively as he came to face them. Zero strolled into the warehouse with the walk of royalty. It wasn't a mere metaphor. It was the truth. One of the first things that Suzaku had ever noticed about Zero was the way he walked. He walked in a way that was refined and couldn't be taught unless learned from birth. His steps were deliberate and slow, yet confident, calm and full of a grace that Suzaku doubted anyone else could master to the same extent that Zero did.

It made him respect the man all the more.

"Good afternoon, Kallen, Suzaku…," Zero nodded at them each, his mask gleaming from the light bulb suspended over head.

"Sir," They both nodded respectfully, prepared to receive their orders.

For a while Zero mere stood there, but Suzaku had a feeling that the man was surveying them each with his eyes. The ace couldn't help but feel as if he were being x-rayed from the inside out, whenever he stood before Zero. It didn't matter whether or not Suzaku could see Zero's face or not… Zero could see his. And Zero… seemed like the type of man who could read people like books. You couldn't hide things from him.

At least, Suzaku had never _tried_ too. Yet.

"Today is an important day for the Black Knights… it marks the end of our days as a small gang in the Tokyo District and ghettos, paving the way for the beginning of our rebirth as protectors of justice against the oppressive Britannia…," Zero stretched out both of his arms, making his presence even larger around them, "You two are my best knights… my aces. I trust you to get the job done. Beat these Holy Assassins… bring them in alive, for me. You are more than capable of succeeding. I know it, and you know it. So, all that being said… its time to head out to your appointment, my aces."

"Yes, of course. We won't let you down, Zero," Kallen said confidently, because that was what Zero's words did.

Zero's words made them feel invincible—like they were capable of anything.

Suzaku gave a dangerous smile, one that he had not used since he had moved in with Lelouch. It signified the danger before a mission, the risk that Zero brought them—but how Suzaku loved the simple exhilaration. It felt good to be fighting again.

He had a purpose.

And it was to serve Zero.

"Consider it done."

* * *

Several hours later, Lelouch was sitting in an outdoor restaurant, weighed down by a dozen or so groceries. No, Lelouch wasn't tired from carrying all of those bags around all day, when they barely weighed a few kilograms! He was just taking a break… and in severe denial about his physical strength. Honestly, Lelouch had glared at several waitresses for daring to approach him and ask for his order. He just wanted to rest (slouch, more like it) in this chair for a few (maybe more than a few) minutes.

His fingers ached, red lines etched into his skin from the plastic handles of the bag. Exhausted, Lelouch reviewed all of the groceries and his receipts in his head, making sure that he hadn't been cheated and forgotten to buy anything for the night's dinner. His limbs felt numb and Lelouch had no idea how he would make it down the next block, never mind the street back home, in the next half-hour.

He didn't feel like taking a taxi when he wanted to save up what he had and subways annoyed him. Plus, he didn't know if he could bear the teasing once more if he dared to ask Sayoko or Jeremiah for a ride home. Nope, it was best just to shut up and deal with it. Lelouch wasn't physically challenged! He could do this!

That was when Lelouch saw them.

The glimpse of unmistakable neon green hair out of the corner of Lelouch's eye did not escape him. Almost immediately he turned around and was surprised to see C.C. sitting at a café, two shops down, with another man. The man was taller than C.C. with light bluish white hair in a ponytail, wearing an odd pair of goggles and earphones. They appeared to be arguing, C.C. with a disgusted look on her face and the man with a leering grin that Lelouch didn't like.

When the man grabbed C.C.'s hand, she wrenched it away and stormed off into an ally by the café. The man got up, paying no attention to the distressed waiter demanding the bill, and followed after her, that leering grin still there.

Lelouch's blood went cold. Something about that man made him uneasy. Was this who C.C. was running away from? Calling a waitress to keep an eye on his things and giving her his cell number, in case he didn't return for them later and needed to get them back, he ran off in their direction, his heart pounding in his chest.

It wasn't very long before Lelouch found himself tip toeing over spilled trash, leaning warily against a brick wall. Just around the corner, Lelouch stopped. Their raised voices allowed him to eavesdrop more efficiently on their dispute.

"C.C., you don't know how long I've been looking for you… Zero was getting worried. But I must confess that I was worried long before _him_. I went looking for you the _very moment_ you disappeared, unlike that irresponsible buffoon. C.C., do you see how much I love you?" The strange man crooned even more.

The shuffling of footsteps made Lelouch guess that the man was moving closer to C.C.

She responded coldly to his confession, "Nothing you say will change my mind, Mao. There is nothing between us any more. It was all just a game to me, something to pass the time. That was why Zero and I abandoned you so many years ago. _You're_ the one insisting that there is something that isn't there. _You're_ the one who's been following us."

"Baby… C.C…. You don't mean that… I know you don't… I know you love me… That Zero, I thought that he was taking you away from me… I was close to my breaking point, close to killing him even though I knew he meant something to you, but when you ran away from him, I knew that you realized that we were meant to be together! So please don't play hard to get, C.C. Just come with me! We can be free! We can do anything with your abilities; we can grow old together and die rich in some foreign country like Australia or the Chinese Federation!" Mao went on and on in his bizarre rant.

This Mao character was sounding more and more like some desperate stalker, to Lelouch, then ever. His very obsession over C.C. repulsed Lelouch greatly, and he found himself glaring at the corner he was hiding behind.

"Mao."

C.C.'s voice was cold and taut, as if there was no room for disagreement.

"It's over. I don't love you. I _never_ will. Move on in your life and forget about me."

No one moved and Lelouch heard no sound except for his own breathing. He was busy wondering how long C.C. had been dealing with this stalker for. Was he dangerous? Had he tried to hurt her? What would he tell Nunnally now? He knew that he'd never tell her the truth, most likely some G-rated lie or something silly like that… He hoped that Nunnally wouldn't be able to tell.

It seemed like C.C. had settled everything diplomatically and he could sneak back to the restaurant without his presence being made known, but, _still,_ if C.C. was in danger then—

"I don't think so."

Lelouch froze, listening even more intently to their conversation and Mao's suddenly frigid voice.

There was a click and C.C. gasped almost inaudibly.

"If I can't have you, C.C. dear, then _no one can_."

Instantly, Lelouch jumped up, making a plastic bottle that was near his feet cluttered noisily against the gravel.

Mao swore, "Who is that? Show yourself! I'm armed! Come out with your hands up!"

Warily, Lelouch slowly stepped out, fingers curled behind his head, to face gunpoint.

* * *

"It's certainly been a long time," Suzaku murmured, dressed in a black body shirt, loose fitting green pants and a long blue jacket.

Beside him, Kallen glowered at their opponents, red hair spiked up dangerously, dressed in a tight red shirt and sweatpants.

They were standing at the docks, which were abandoned and empty save for the four of them. The sea water sloshed by the side of the docks, as a comforting hymn to this prelude of a battle. The sea stretched out for miles with a few cargo boats in the distant horizon, mere specks against the picturesque setting sky. Over head, the street lights hung high, casting long shadows on their faces and battleground. Stacks of barrels, holding who knows that, towered over the long and spacious platform, all three sides surrounded by water, that they would be fighting on. Nothing but water, and empty warehouses for miles.

It was the perfect scene for a vengeful duel, neither side would relent.

Opposite them, Gino and Rolo looked unforgivable, barely moving an inch from their positions. They merely matched Kallen and Suzaku's glares with their own thoughts of vengeance, and a new purpose to live for. They were also dressed for battle in the same way as Suzaku, except they had longer coats blowing behind them.

"Don't you think it's time to take off your jackets?" Suzaku asked them mockingly, that dangerous smile on his lips. The cigarette dancing guiltily between his lips was a reminder of who Suzaku became when he fought.

Unrecognizable. Zero's ace.

Gino looked sharply at the cigarette and then at Kallen, "You better prepare yourself. Your friend killed Anya and I will not forgive him. I have nothing to fight you for. Rolo will be your opponent."

Kallen gritted her teeth, sneering at him, "Oh yeah? Well, I have a bone to pick with you, Gino. You killed Inoue and Yoshida! I will not forgive you!"

"God damn it, I don't want to fight you, Suzaku is the one I have to kill—"

"Its fine," Suzaku loudly interrupted, sharing a dark glower with Rolo, "defeating either of you will be satisfying enough."

"Oh for crying out loud, what the hell are we doing _fighting_ over _who_ we're actually going to fight? I'm going in for the kill!" Kallen said loudly, pulling out a knife and then charging head first at Gino, with her hand held high, "I'll _kill_ you!"

"Kallen!" Suzaku shouted, while dodging Rolo's sudden attack himself, "Remember Zero's orders!"

"I know!" She shouted back, lunging her knife towards Gino's face, "Just let me make him taste some goddamn pain!"

But Gino was quick to avoid the blade cutting towards his face. His arms reached out instinctively and with years of skill, blocking Kallen's swipe by holding firmly to her wrist. Kallen scowled out of frustration and had her other hand ready to punch Gino's jaw from below.

However, Gino moved quicker then she did, using his other hand to block her other hand with a sound chop. The Black Knight ace couldn't help but wince slightly from the dull pain resounding within her bones, as if her entire skeletal structure were some trombone, just ringing on and on.

Immediately Kallen snapped out of it, spitting into Gino's face. Gino hissed and let go of her hands in the shock. Kallen jumped back and then spun around to give Gino a side kick within the neck.

It hit him hard, especially with the heavy-duty boots Kallen was wearing, and Gino found himself thrown across the ground, skidding like a failed Frisbee swing to the edge of the docks. The knight of rounds and holy Assassin grunted at the burning sensations on his sides and hands, groaning as he tried to get up.

Kallen did not give him the chance too.

She came running in right away, like a bull. Before Gino's head had lifted up properly enough to see her, she had already forcibly grabbed the cuff of his shirt and before Gino knew it, blood red lit up his vision.

Kallen had begun using him a human punching bag, starting with the face. The warm liquid Gino numbly felt running down his lips, as his head merely echoed the multiple blows of pain, was most likely blood from his nose.

"You bastard! You'll get what's coming to you! I'll make sure you wished you were dead!" Kallen screamed at him, initiating punch after devastating punch, the punches she practised four times a day for times such as this.

His nose was going to crack if he didn't do something.

Damn it, Gino thought, as he knew this was a pitiful situation for a so-called Knight of the Round to be caught up in, I don't have time to play around! _Where's_ Suzaku? I will avenge Anya if it's the _last_ thing I do!

With all his strength, and renewed fury, Gino mustered up his arms and wrenched Kallen's hand away from his shirt, then blocked Kallen's powerful blow. With Kallen in momentary shock, Gino lifted her up and threw her across the docks in a remarkable display of power.

Instantly, Gino got up, teetering to the left just so gently, and then straightened himself up.

He eyed the squabble between Suzaku and Rolo to his right murderously. Then he sauntered over to join them. It would be Gino who would put a knife in Suzaku's back. This was for Anya. This was for his future.

Meanwhile, Rolo had come in at Suzaku with a high kick to the head, which Suzaku had easily dodged by craning his neck to the side. Then Suzaku quickly crouched down and swooped forward in attempt to get behind Rolo and knock him out at a pressure point in the neck.

His eyes were narrowed with dangerous concentration, and Suzaku was abnormally quicker than the average human being.

He easily got behind Rolo, hand only half an inch away from hitting Rolo's neck when the boy twisted around just in time, caught Suzaku's hand and landed a blow in Suzaku's stomach. The blow did nothing to faze Suzaku, who merely brought up his right leg and knocked Rolo across the ground in a foul kick.

Rolo gasped, as his body finished toppling across the ground. He wasted no time in getting up. Normally, Rolo would have knifed his opponent by now, but Suzaku was exceptionally talented in fighting. It was as if he were some kind of human weapon, a machine. Plus, Rolo remembered Gino's demand to be the one to kill the Japanese biker himself. Rolo, for some reason he couldn't really fathom, wanted to honour that decision that they had made together.

There was no way that Rolo would die by this miserable bastard's hands. His violet eyes narrowed as Rolo quickly recovered from the blow to his side, and he determined that the best way to fight Suzaku was to wear him out. Rolo decided that he would continue dodging and defending against Suzaku's offences until Gino had killed Kallen and moved in for Suzaku. By then, Suzaku would have probably only half the stamina and endurance he had now. The Japanese biker would be too worn out to fight as efficiently against Gino.

So Rolo immediately put his inner plan into action. He leapt over Suzaku nimbly, having a smaller frame than Zero's ace, just as Suzaku was about to give him a hard blow to the head. But Suzaku spotted this instantly, and jumped up to grab Rolo's wrist in mid-air, just as Rolo had jumped over head. Nearly instantaneously Suzaku threw Rolo down into the cement, as if the boy were a mere rag doll, with no expression on his face but a dangerous and intense concentration.

Rolo cried out, arm twitching weakly.

Wordlessly, Suzaku ran up to him, elbow lifted high to smash Rolo's stomach into the ground, pinning the poor boy's body like a helpless rabbit. Rolo's fingers and legs were stretched out, paralysed as some kind of wilting flower. Within seconds, Suzaku's eyes ghosted over Rolo's neck, as his hand lifted to put Rolo into a world of unconsciousness.

Rolo's fingers shook very slightly, from weakness and frustration as he realized just how large the gap between himself (the so-called strongest of the Holy Assassins) and this man (Zero's emotionless mechanical ace).

"No…," Rolo whispered, as faces flashed against his eyes, like a broken record player.

There was his uncle and there was V.V. and there was Anya and Gino and Lelouch and Lelouch's sister and that Shirley person and Lelouch's friend Milly and faces of boys, girls, men, women, elderly, sick, disabled, strong, conceited, politicians, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters—all faces of people he killed and met and killed andmetandkilledand—

Then there was the sound of a sad broken cello playing one lone note and Suzaku's emotionless eyes and the hand that would end it all…

"NO! _Rolo_!"

Gino's heart wrenching scream pierced Rolo's daze as he looked up warily to see Gino running towards him, eyes wide. Rolo's own heart sped up as he saw who was still up and behind him…

"Watch out, Gino!"

Gino whirled around, to see Kallen staring malevolently at him, holding her knife. Without speaking, she plunged it towards his thigh.

* * *

"Schneizel Onii-sama… can I talk to you for a moment?"

The blond prince looked up at his younger pink-haired sibling with small twinkles in his violet eyes. He was seated at his desk, where papers were stacked into organized piles and folders. One small photo frame sat by the corner, and a pen that had been just previously scribbling away on more documents involving the Lancelot project was held elegantly in the prince's right hand.

In two days, he and Princess Euphemia would be flying to Area 11 to join Prince Clovis for a visit. For Euphemia, it was a mere trip that Schneizel happened to be going on. As for Schneizel, he would use this opportunity to check on the progress of the Lancelot project at the Ashford University Laboratory… and other things.

He smiled warmly at her. "Yes? What is it?"

Euphemia lowered her gaze shyly, twiddling with her fingers behind her back. It was a bad habit that she had not broken even as a child and would continue to do for a long time. Clearly, his younger sister was in distress of some kind. Schneizel smiled softly, thinking of the differences between his two beloved sisters Cornelia and Euphemia. He was amazed that they could get along so well, but then again, Cornelia was always a softy inside, doting on all of her preferred younger siblings.

Hesitating, Euphemia nodded, as if to encourage herself and then said slowly, "I was concerned about this trip to Area 11… It… It reminds me too much of Lelouch and Nunnally… what happened to them… I feel a bit… apprehensive about going there."

Ah… so that was the problem. His gaze softened. Euphemia, Cornelia, Clovis and himself had been the only siblings truly hit by Lelouch and Nunnally's deaths.

"I understand… To tell you the truth, I was a bit hesitant to come to Area 11 as well for the same reason as you, the first time father ordered me on a trip there. Don't worry… you'll settle in fine, just enjoy the sights… I believe there's a hotel in the Tokyo settlement that's quick lovely…," Schneizel said gently.

The princess nodded, comforted by his words, and gaining more confidence within herself, "Yes… Anyways, Schneizel Onii-sama, I feel like I can't turn away. I have to do this… I have to see the country where Lelouch and Nunnally died…" Her eyes dimmed, "I want to know what it's like…"

There it was… the guilt squeezing him again. He sighed.

"Euphy…," Schneizel said softly, "I'm sure that wherever Lelouch and Nunnally are now… they're safe and happy together."

"Yes…," she sniffed quickly, smiling prettily at him. "Thank you for trying to cheer me up, Schneizel Onii-sama… I… I never thought of you as a believer in the after life…"

He smiled dimly, "I'm not."

Confusion flashed across Euphemia's face as she frowned, "Oh… alright then. Well, thank you."

As Euphemia exited his office, Schneizel groaned softly to himself, whispering, "Of course I don't believe in that… because I _know_ that Lelouch and Nunnally are alive…," He smiled to himself, "I wonder how much Lelouch has grown now… it'll be fun to tease him again."

The blinds against the glass window behind him cast long shadows of black against orange on his papers and pen. The photo on his desk showed all six siblings, ten years ago, lounging in one of the royal gardens for a tea party. Euphemia and Nunnally sat on either side of Lelouch, holding on to his arms. Behind them, Cornelia had her hand on Euphemia's head, the ever doting sister. Clovis stood behind Nunnally, holding up a saucer, while Schneizel stood directly behind Lelouch. The scowl on Lelouch's face was quite adorable, especially with the bit of blush on his cheeks. It astounded Schneizel to see how much the boy had grown.

Within Schneizel's floorboards, under the drawer, was another picture. This one showed Lelouch in his junior high uniform, dressed in purple, with his sister. By his side were Sayoko and Jeremiah. The picture was taken in Area 11. There was a hasty note on the back, a warning not to show this to anyone. He smiled, remembering how much blackmail he had threatened for just a photo of his brother and sister.

It had been such a shock to find them alive…

"It's been two years, dear little brother… I can't _wait_ to see you again."

 

Walk On In

Extra Scene: Takes Place in Chapter 4

Suzaku had been staying at the Lamperouge Household for several days now. He wandered in from room to room, having grown quite comfortable living with the Lamperouges… despite some of the strange quirks.

He had come home early from one of the Black Knights meetings, and was currently walking aimlessly around the house.

Suddenly, out of no where, Sayoko swooped in from the ceiling like a ninja ( _wait,_ she was a ninja!) and grabbed onto Suzaku's arm, taking him by surprise when she didn't start throwing darts and/or kunai at him and instead, dragged him down the hallway.

A bit bewildered, Suzaku scowled, "Hey what are you doing? Let me go!"

"Oh no, Kururugi… I have something I want to show you…," Sayoko cackled uncharacteristically.

It unnerved Suzaku ever so slightly, but then again, this was Sayoko. Anything could happen.

The whole situation got even creepier as Sayoko opened a menacing looking door that Suzaku was wondering how he could have overlooked, and shoved him inside. Before hand, Sayoko had used a lot of fancy password codes and some kind of DNA fingerprint test before opening said-door. The whole thing just screamed suspicious. What kind of house had a DNA fingerprint scanning machine anyways?

Now, if Suzaku had been more himself, he would've broken away from Sayoko's hold a long time ago and ran for it. But, he was curious. He'd never been in this room before…

It was dark, and Suzaku stood there blinking for a couple of moments or so, when Sayoko flipped on the light switch.

What he saw nearly gave him a heart attack.

The whole room looked prepared for war… literally.

There were machine guns, bullets, pistols, snipers, kunai, darts, grenades and who knows what else lining every single (insert Suzaku's profanities) inch of every single wall. The mere sight of so much firepower made Suzaku want to fall over numb from shock if he hadn't already seen similar things in a military base when he had broken into one for a Black Knights mission.

This was unbelievable.

"Wh… What is all this?" Suzaku gaped.

Was this real? Was Sayoko some sort of terrorist holding poor Lelouch captive? Oh dear, Suzaku was preparing to high tail it, grab Lelouch, and RUN.

To make things worse, Sayoko began to chuckle eerily to herself. Not good.

"Why… this is my special training center… _and torture room_ for _unwelcome guests_ … Now, that C.C. may have escaped my wrath… but you will not!"

And to make things worse, Sayoko even pulled out a bazooka from her skirt (how a bazooka fit there, Suzaku didn't even want to know) and aimed it right towards Suzaku's face, a look of demonic evil on her face, "Don't… move."

"HELL NO! I AM SO MOVING!" Suzaku screamed, about to beat it. (And where had Sayoko gotten all of these weapons?)

Then, if things couldn't get any worse, a curious Lelouch walked in as if there _weren't_ walls stacked with weapons galore fit for a terrorist room.

"What's going on, Sayoko-san? You don't usually open up your training room when I come home—"

"Le—"

It was too late, Sayoko's finger pulled on the trigger of the bazooka in that instant and before Suzaku knew it, he had leapt across the room and grabbed Lelouch, pinning the boy to the ground and in his arms. His body wrapped around Lelouch's protectively as the bazooka blasted through the walls, sending several guns and grenades tumbling off the walls.

All Suzaku could feel was the warmth of Lelouch's body, and the erratic beat of Lelouch's heart beat, as all he could think of was getting Lelouch out of this room, as far away from the psychotic ninja-maid as possible and then—

"Sayoko-san!" Lelouch shouted, prying Suzaku (who was reluctant) off of him and stepping in front of the ninja-maid (with much protest from Suzaku who kept clinging at Lelouch's arms and refusing to let go). "Sayoko-san… did you have to destroy _another_ wall? This is the second time this year! I'm going to tell Nunnally to stop sneaking sugar into your morning tea! This is _not_ funny!"

Wait… what?

As it turned out, when Sayoko was fed too much sugar she went a little… crazy. Suzaku also learned that day to never underestimate Nunnally's sense of humour… apparently it involved letting the maid run loose and blowing things up.

Oh, and Suzaku made sure to be extra clingy to Lelouch when they went to bed later that night—just to make sure of any possible injuries the poor boy might have gained from that bazooka attack. All innuendos aside.


	6. Chapter 5: Run

There was just the gun, Lelouch, and the man who was pinning him with a pair of estranged eyes, controlling the trigger with just one slim pale finger.

The warm liquid saliva in his mouth slipped down Lelouch's throat in a shaky gulp. His violet eyes did not move from where the gun was. All the blasé teenager could see and feel was the coldness that coursed through him at the sight of that sleek black gun.

This was not the first time Lelouch had seen a gun though. There had been other occurrences—why wouldn't there be? With a ninja maid like Sayoko and a more gun-crazy (if you pushed him too far) Jeremiah, Lelouch had seen more than his fair share of guns… especially in the days when his guardians tried to protect him and Nunnally.

But this was different. Those guns were part of his every day life and Lelouch never felt such raw intent to hurt from them, only control and protection. Mao was different. He wasn't Sayoko or Jeremiah. He was crazy… and he was a threat.

The leering gunman had a pistol pointed right at Lelouch's face, examining Lelouch as if he was some sort of strange animal, and poking him every now and again, painfully. Lelouch winced a few times, but didn't let it [show](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5321256/6/Walk_On_In).

After all, no matter how troubled and nervous Lelouch felt, he had to keep his cool. The key to this was breathing slowly, and to whisper calming thoughts to himself. Without Mao or C.C. being aware, Lelouch had slipped into a state he entered only when he played his chess games. He pulled on a mask of complete indifference, standing in seeming calm as Mao circled around him with that menacing gun, twirled between spidery fingers.

 _This is just a game…_ Lelouch told himself, daring to keep his eyes open in a farce of royal confidence. _Just think of it as another chess game. Except the stakes aren't anything silly… the stakes are our lives._

Subconsciously, as his heart began to beat repeatedly in his chest, so that Lelouch heard it in his very ear drums, he recalled something that he told someone a long time ago. A hazy face. Hazy words. And hazy conflict. It had been just before the 'incident'. He had long suppressed as many memories as he could, but before he could help it, this one line sounded throughout his head as if there was someone sitting right in his skull.

" _Life is just a play thing… and I intend to play with it until I die."_

The way those words were said left goose bumps under Lelouch's [skin](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5321256/6/Walk_On_In). For some reason, the recollection didn't comfort him. Rather, it sent chills down his spine, as if he remembered something he really shouldn't have.

Nevertheless, Lelouch breathed in another breath, and then locked eyes with the mad gunman before him, hiding his panic under a calculating mask.

**Walk On In**

**-5- Run**

The piercing scream which had emerged from his [partner](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5321256/6/Walk_On_In) had alerted Gino of the incoming threat before his brain could possibly compute it. His mind had been at a standstill, currently trying to process what Rolo had just said, while his body suddenly moved on its own. Gino's eyes had returned to their cold state, and his hands had already interjected the knife that had been coming for his thigh before Kallen get any closer.

Thick fingers were caught up in the blade, which sliced cleanly into his flesh, etching future scars onto his hands. The blood trickled down slowly in a murky imitation of lava creeping from a volcano after the initial explosion. It seemed as if the entire world was fixated on that river of blood flowing from his hands. Kallen's eyes were wide, as if she didn't understand what she was doing, didn't understand why she was hesitating…

Gino didn't move his hands from the sharp end of the knife, but rather, he merely stared back bewildered at Kallen.

His heart thudded in some strange rush of adrenaline that he had not felt in a long time. It occurred to Gino that this rush he was feeling was the high he usually felt when he was put in a life-or-death situation… when he was having a fun fight. Dear god… he was actually _enjoying_ fighting this ace, though she had nothing to do with his revenge or Anya. He actually liked the way she moved, how quick her punches seemed against his face.

…Was he some kind of masochist?

 _She's good… Shame I have to cut this short_ , Gino thought quickly in attempt to distract these strange feelings in his chest and to control the elation in his blood, remembering why he was rushing towards Suzaku and Rolo's fight in the first place. He had to save his partner. He had to save him from suffering the same fate as Anya… dying by that Suzaku's hands.

The hatred Gino felt for Suzaku Kururugi returned easily, topped with an urgency to save his only remaining partner, _… I'm coming, Rolo!_

He flashed an elated grin at Kallen, surprising her, and then threw her knife to the ground with a clatter. The knife spun like a disc until it landed upright, the tip of it sliced into the dock ground.

"It's been fun," Gino said under his breath, "but I have another place to be… so…"

In the next instant, Gino had successfully twisted Kallen's body around, so that her back was facing him. With one solid movement, Gino had hit the pressure point at the back of her neck, watching as her bright eyes went dull and her body succumbed to being immobile. She fell like a robot that had just lost it source of energy against his arms. Gino laid her somewhat gently on the ground and then returned to what he had earlier set out to do.

Kill Suzaku Kururugi. Save Rolo.

The former Knight of the Round moved forward, watching as Suzaku's normally stoic and mechanical expression briefly showed anger at Kallen's defeat and then Suzaku smashed Rolo's body against the ground, eyes never leaving Gino's. He was prepared to take them both on at once. But Gino would not give him the chance to.

He jumped, he knew it was a risk as Suzaku could move faster than even Rolo, but he was hoping to stretch his fingers far enough to wring Suzaku's neck. There was no time; Suzaku had Rolo in a position where he could kill at will, in seconds if he had too. Gino needed to focus Suzaku's attention on him and him alone. He would not allow the Black Knights to take away any more precious people from his life.

Instead of snapping Rolo's neck, as Gino had feared he would do, Suzaku merely threw Rolo to the side and then lifted his hands, crouching down so that he was below the arc of Gino's jump, to catch Gino's body around the side. Using a unique throw, most likely learned from a martial arts style in his childhood, Suzaku managed to manipulate Gino's falling body into a hold where he threw Gino down on his back, and then finished it off with swift side kicks into Gino's stomach.

In pain and the shock from having his charge so easily intercepted, Gino's mouth wrung wide as saliva choked from him. The pain rebounded within his stomach, as if a fist-sized ping pong ball were bouncing back and forth within his ribs. Gino could barely think, barely move as his body seemed to ring like a resounded Chinese gong, in pure resounding pain. Gino struggled to breath, finding it more difficult as lightheaded drowsiness intruded his skull.

He reacted instantaneously, despite being hurt, when he heard the rushing stampede of heavy footsteps, heading towards him.

Gino raised his arm in defence, jumping up to his feet, despite the blurred edges of his vision. Immediately, Suzaku's charge and boulder-heavy kick was delayed by Gino's wrist and Gino let out a cry, feeling his wrist bruise heavily… maybe even cracked. He wasn't sure. But he swung his other hand, the left one, to grab a fistful of Suzaku's hair. Somehow Gino's fingers managed to grasp a few curly strands in the frenzy and then Gino pulled down, twisting Suzaku's body down to the ground, head first.

Suzaku didn't even flinch at the pull of the roots on his skull. He manoeuvred his left arm behind his back and then made a full swing into Gino's stomach, knowing that Gino's other hand was injured from the earlier kick.

The former Holy Assassin had no idea it was coming, his vision fogging and his joints becoming weak from his earlier skirmish with Kallen and the one blow that Suzaku had struck at him. He was beginning to see his mistake in challenging both of Zero's Aces at the same time for revenge… the whole thing seemed so pointless. It was clear that Suzaku Kururugi and Kallen Kouzuki, heck even Suzaku by himself, were more than capable of destroying him. The Black Knights had been merely preoccupied with other tasks assigned by Zero to try and obliterate the rest of the Holy Assassins, which was probably why Gino and Rolo had never realized the true potential of their strength sooner.

_Damn it, this is all just a mistake!_

"No!" Gino spat out as he felt something vault into his gut, ramming him down into the ground so that he was nothing more than a human meat puppet, good for nothing but being kicked around and trifled with.

Strands of salvia slipped out of his mouth against the pavement against his will. He struggled to get up again, willing the ringing against his eardrums to stop and the clouded vision to clear up.

Another stampede of meshed footsteps in the next two seconds and then Gino found his face smashed against the ground, he felt something crack horribly and then, he was pinned down, hands behind his back.

Nothing but heavy breathing left.

He didn't even know if _he himself_ were still breathing. It hurt too much to tell.

"Game over," Suzaku's heavy voice gusted over him.

* * *

The man called Mao poked him in the side with his gun, smirking as Lelouch did not grace him with even a flinch. The student from Ashford Academy stood straight and tall, hands raised. Even in this type of situation, his pride would not allow him to show any sort of weakness to the enemy. He would remain standing tall, holding on to any shred of dignity possible, even now.

The only problem was keeping his sharp tongue to himself. Even Lelouch could admit that he had a bad habit of provoking others and making tensions escalate into much more difficult matters. But this was just a game. In this game, Lelouch needed to stay calm, hang on to his and C.C.'s lives… and walk away with the win.

Too bad his hammering heart was betraying him.

"So…," Mao sneered in an insanely happy note which made Lelouch's ears cringe at the off-tone octave that Mao seemed to favour speaking in, "who are you?"

He locked eyes with C.C., who seemed to be silently telling him to deny all claims of knowing her with those enlarged golden eyes. Somehow it made Lelouch feel even more agitated that the witch was putting up this noble front just to save him. Even if he did just claim to be a random passer-by who had just happened to be in an ally, Mao was clearly insane. Lelouch doubted it would make a difference if he told him his name or not.

Besides, he wasn't going to leave her here to deal with this madman alone.

Lelouch felt his confidence return, even if it was just a small fraction of it, "Does it matter? More importantly, why are you pointing that gun at me, when I've clearly done nothing wrong?"

Mao's eyes widened. For a minute he did not speak. That minute was one of the longest minutes in Lelouch's life. He tried to calm himself, comparing the situation to a chess game once more. It was like waiting for his opponent to pick his move. The thought calmed him once again. He waited for Mao to either pull the trigger and shoot him, or keep talking as crazy insane people generally do. Not that Lelouch knew any.

Suddenly Mao pulled the trigger.

A loud shot rang past Lelouch's ears, as the bullet merely grazed his right cheek just below the eyes. Lelouch's heart was in pandemonium, beating out of its ribcage and demanding to be set free. But Lelouch stood as still as a statue, his blasé demeanour did not change, even when the bullet had shot at him. He felt his hands tremble slightly, but forced them to remain in place. Lelouch was the chess player after all; he could not let any emotions give his next move away or it was game over.

The wall behind Lelouch, brick layered, had one small crack steaming within it. The bullet, tiny and yet so lethal when aimed properly (and Lelouch now had no doubt that Mao had more than excellent aim) stayed lodged within, a bird in its nest.

He found himself staring intently at the madly grinning man before him. C.C., however, did not tear her gaze away from that bulleted brick wall.

"Mao!" C.C. scowled at him, golden eyes glinting at him dangerously, "What the hell are you doing? This is between you and me!"

"You think I don't know C.C.? He's the other man, isn't he? It's not just Zero you're fucking around with, it's this pretty little Britannian kid too, isn't it?" Mao shouted at her, shooting off his gun so that it flew past her ear, hitting the dumpster behind her in a loud smash.

"Other man? I told you I—"

"Shut up!" Mao aimed again, making sure to fire through her loose sleeve, missing her arm on purpose, "I call everything now." He turned menacingly towards the witch, an eerie smile on his pale face which made Lelouch's stomach turn uneasily, "You think I'm just a stupid little kid, C.C. dear, but I'm so much more than that. You see I notice _everything_ about you…," he whispered vulgarly, raising a hand to caress her cheek while C.C. frowned in disgust at him, "your lips… your voice… your _eyes_ …"

Lelouch felt his chest squeeze in, as if he were suffocating. He felt as if he were walking on broken glass, trembling as he tried not to cut his feet against the shards. The pauses between each of Mao's sentences were unbearable long, when in reality, they only lasted for a few seconds.

Another shot and Lelouch felt air whoosh past his neck as he realized, in shock, that Mao had narrowly missed his neck on purpose. The madman was keeping both he and C.C. on their toes, playing with their fear, maybe even messing with his own mind.

"Do you think I didn't notice? _Your eyes_ , C.C. dear, your beautiful and captivating golden eyes actually furrowed in confusion when you saw _his face_ and then when you recognized him, your eyes widened just part of an inch enough for me to realize that _you know him_ , don't you?" Mao leered forward, lips touching her nose, breath ghosting against her pale nose.

C.C. did nothing but stay as expressionless as possible. But her fingers twitched just slightly. Both Mao and Lelouch caught the slight movement.

Her crazy admirer let out a heart wrenching yell, reminding Lelouch of hyenas, as he carelessly shot at Lelouch's feet, this time aiming to hurt. Lelouch stepped back just in time, fearing that he hadn't moved quick enough to avoid the shots.

"Tell me how you know each other," Mao leered at them, "or I'll shoot his toes off!"

 _Don't do it, C.C.,_ Lelouch thought _, you'll just make him angrier. I'll think of a way out of this—_

"He's no one. He's just a cashier at Pizza House who I managed to blackmail free pizzas from." C.C. said hurriedly, "Don't shoot him. He has nothing to do with this."

Damn it.

Luckily, Mao seemed content with this piece of information… for the moment. His lips curved into a satisfied smile.

"Oh… so he's just a high and mighty Britannian who took pity on you, I get it…," Mao said happily, clapping his hands (and the pistol) together like a little child. Then his mood darkened, "What's his name?"

This time C.C. was silent. Lelouch was itching to just yell at the gunman and tell him commit suicide by shooting himself in the head—like _that_ would work.

Mao grew impatient, a vein on his forehead throbbing. Another shot flew past Lelouch, but again Lelouch was able to see it coming and moved his arm so that it wouldn't hit. He breathed heavily in relief that he hadn't been hit. That dodge ball match (though painful) with Sayoko had been useful after all. He would never doubt his ninja-maid's methods of protecting him again… well; maybe he would from time to time.

"Answer me! _What is his name_? I will shoot!"

C.C. really had no choice, she opened her mouth and said, "It's—"

"My girlfriend is waiting for me," Lelouch lied smoothly, putting up the front of an innocent high school boy. "She gets really skittish when I'm away for too long, I should head back before she begins to panic."

His sudden outburst diverted Mao's attentions from C.C. to himself. Mao's eyes widened considerably at the sound of this new information before he scowled and shouted, "What? You told someone where you were going?"

"Well of course I did... I mean, why wouldn't I? It's not like I expected to run into your... domestic argument," Lelouch said as innocently as he could make it, his face revealing none of his lies.

In chess it was key to keep a calm facade, to lead your opponent into a trap by showing them certain moves to distract their attention. Sweat slid down the side of Lelouch's forehead as he repeatedly told himself this analogy—though in reality, Lelouch was merely gambling his own life and C.C.'s on this sad little lie. He hoped that Mao wasn't too perceptive about people other than C.C. and that he had not lost his charm in his own panic. The situation was too critical for that.

"Please, can you let me go? Stacy will be extremely worried about me," Lelouch said, pulling the name 'Stacy' off the top of his head. He recalled it being the name of the waitress that he had paid to keep his groceries safe.

He watched with satisfaction as Mao began to deliberate. He had just walked Mao into a conflicting dilemma. Mao could just shoot Lelouch now, but it was clear that he didn't want to upset his dear C.C. or alert Lelouch's 'girlfriend' to her missing lover. But if Mao merely kept Lelouch and C.C. prisoner, 'Stacy' would come looking for Lelouch, presumably heading towards the ally that Lelouch had just stumbled upon. If he tried to kidnap Lelouch it would do him no good. He didn't want Lelouch 'stealing' his precious C.C. from him. Mao wasn't a strategist like Lelouch, it was clear that he acted out of emotions instead of intellect. There was no way that the man could think of a way out of this.

All in all, Lelouch knew that he had cornered Mao—at least, he hoped so.

But then Mao grinned at him, "Well, I guess you'll have to introduce us."

Inside, Lelouch kept calm. He smiled shakily at Mao, "What do you mean?"

"I will come with you, gun aimed behind you and you will lead me to your precious little girlfriend. Tell her that you're going home early and that you'll walk her home. Introduce me as a friend of yours. Don't try to worm your way out of this one, pizza boy, or I'll shoot you both. Then you'll take a detour into the ally... and then, well, I guess you'll both be breathing your final breaths...," Mao said thoughtfully, a mad grin dancing on his lips, "Isn't that fun?"

"Ah..."

"My dear C.C.," Mao grabbed her forcibly by the arm, while C.C. glared at him with revulsion, "will be accompanying us, of course." He looked warmly at her before turning on Lelouch with a sinister face, "Get moving."

He kicked Lelouch forward and then Lelouch felt the tip of the pistol touching his back, while Mao hid the pistol under a spare coat. Cold shivers ran down Lelouch's spine as he slowly walked forward towards the street to the restaurant where he had left the grocery bags to a random waitress that he had met. She had promised to call him back, once Lelouch had made it clear that he would hunt her down for his groceries (she had a laugh at the sight of Lelouch trying to threaten her—honestly, even strangers could see he wasn't capable of knocking someone out!).

Outside the alley way it seemed as if Lelouch were walking into an entirely alien world. Even when he had arrived in Japan, a year before Britannia invaded, he had never felt this alienated before. It was as if every single person walking past, without a care in the world, were some strange creature. The buildings that lined the Tokyo settlement suddenly seemed like foreign landscape, not familiar shapes that Lelouch had grown accustomed to over the past years. It was all because of the pistol pressed against his back... and the realization that this was not a game.

This was real.

"This way," Lelouch said casually, pretending that he wasn't being threatened from behind. The slight tremors in his limbs gave away his fear and the rampant thoughts in his mind refused to stay still.

The three of them entered the outdoor plaza of the restaurant, Lelouch walked in front while Mao followed closely behind, a firm grip on C.C.'s arm. Several quaint tables were arranged in a very homey display with cute plastic chairs gathered around them. The waitresses were busy taking orders and running dishes to and from the kitchen, while the door of the restaurant was constantly opening and closing. Couples chatted happily together over a lunch of sandwiches or soup.

The waitress that Lelouch had left his number with (in order to secure his groceries later) looked up in surprise upon seeing Lelouch. Her face broke out into a smile and she waved.

"Hey there! I didn't think you'd come back so soon," she told him, "I've got the groceries still, if you were fretting about that."

"Yes well...," Lelouch flashed her a quick smile, "sorry about this."

The gun behind him lowered a bit, as Mao began to catch on, "Wait... she doesn't look as panicked as you—"

"Help!" Lelouch turned around and kneed Mao where it would hurt (no matter how physically weak Lelouch was), making Mao scream in agony, the pistol clattered to the ground to the horror of the random customers, "He's got a gun! He's a terrorist! Arrest him!"

C.C.'s eyes widened in recognition, she grabbed the over-dramatic Lelouch (he had a thing with theatrical displays) by the wrist and pulled him down behind a table. Jumpy employees ran back and forth screaming 'terrorist!' while trying to phone the proper authorities on their cells.

"Fuck!" Mao yowled, swiping at his gun and shooting at the tables in the frenzy.

More people screamed, someone knocked Mao over, making his drop his weapon and fall to the ground.

"Quickly! Let's get out of here!"

That was when Mao chose that moment to look up, seeing C.C. and Lelouch make their quick escape down the street, C.C. dragging Lelouch by the hand.

"Hey! Hey wait! Ah, crap... damn it," Mao limped up to his feet, grabbing his pistol and firing several shots at the two distancing figures in the street.

People heard the gunshots and then erupted into a panic, scattering in different directions. In a few seconds, pandemonium had struck the entire street of the Tokyo settlement. Mao swore harshly again, and began to run (limping, to be the more correct term, from Lelouch's rather accurate kick—he would murder that kid) after them.

The police chose that moment to show up. A few hysterical waitresses pointed frantically in Mao's direction and that was when Mao began to speed up in his chase.

He would not let them get away.

* * *

Ropes. There were ropes being tied around his wrists, Gino was barely aware of it. But he recognized the course feel of the rope, itchy and rough, like lined ten-year-old carpet that had bits of Velcro in its fibres. Instinctively, he struggled against his bounds, clawing and biting at whoever was doing this. His vision was too blurry to decipher any clear faces, but he knew that it had to be Kururugi.

Wait—why hadn't Kururugi attempted to kill him or Rolo yet? It was an opportune time, they were both utterly defenceless. It was disgusting, how easily they had been subdued by Kururugi and his fellow ace. It was as if Kururugi hadn't even needed to lift a finger to stop him, as if he had been holding back this whole time. That angered Gino. Was he not worth enough to fight at full strength? Was avenging Anya not a good reason for Suzaku to feel fear and battle at his full potential?

Unless… Suzaku was intending to torture him. No… if he had wanted that, Gino was sure that he would've done something much more elaborate. Suzaku seemed like the straightforward type of bastard that you wouldn't want to mess with, especially if you threatened something or someone close to him… So then why was Suzaku restraining Gino's wrists…?

His vision was too hazy to make out too many details. But as he continued to struggle with his binds he felt the blurry edges around his world clear with each silent blink.

There was a shuffling to his left, as Gino heard Suzaku speaking to someone, or something. It didn't seem like Suzaku was even acknowledging his presence at all now that their 'appointment' was over—or even to Rolo for that matter. It repulsed him.

In the distance, the knife that Gino had thrown away from Kallen was still lodged into the ground, the tip of the handle standing upwards, as the blade kissed the cement, standing perpendicular to the dock. Kallen, it seemed, had been dragged over and laid against one of the storage boxes, still unconscious from Gino's knock-out. A few meters west of Gino, Rolo still laid face-first, unattended to.

Damn, this didn't look good.

"Zero…," Suzaku seemed to be speaking to his cell phone at this point, "I've captured them as you intended."

A cold chill slipped down Gino's spine. Zero's aces had never ended to fight to the death after all…this whole time they had only been trying to weaken him and Rolo. The objective, the point, was to capture them—but why…?

" _You will regret this."_

Gino's eyes widened in remembrance. _It had to be V.V._ Zero obviously wanted information about V.V. and was going to use Rolo and himself to get it. But what the hell would Zero want to know that for anyways? What did V.V. have to do with whatever master plan Zero seemed to be plotting against Britannia? The only thing that Gino knew about his former boss V.V. was that he and Zero seemed to know each other from a long time ago and had started this gang-to-gang street war over some kind of petty spat.

The question was… what were they fighting over?

"Yes," Suzaku continued to say, making Gino impatient. Just what was Zero telling his prized ace on the other line? "Of course. I will go inform the others that they may proceed from their positions to help secure the prisoners."

The others? Gino watched as Suzaku raised two fingers up towards the roof of the abandoned warehouse overlooking the docks, and then saw a figure emerge from the top of the warehouse. Wait, there were other Black Knights stepping out of their positions, from behind a tow truck near the dock, from an alley way, from the roof…

"You bastard! The deal was that we'd fight alone, just the four of us, to the death! You're not even giving me and Rolo the grace to die, are you even dishonouring that part of the deal as well, Kururugi? You call yourself Japanese? Maybe you deserve to be stripped of your name and called an Eleven!" Gino spat at him, anger speaking for him.

He didn't see the blow towards his face coming. It hit him in the face, smashing the momentum from his body, as he felt something in his nose swish. Warmth flooded down over his lips, the salty taste of blood, repulsive as always. His nose was most likely broken, if he was lucky, it was just severely bleeding. There just weren't enough words to describe the burning sensation against his face.

Suzaku towered over Gino menacingly, the most murderous look that Gino had ever seen on a man's face etched into the Japanese biker's skin. It made Gino's skin crawl; it made Gino think of the flames of hell.

 _Demon… Zero's precious ace is some kind of fighting demon…_ ; the thought came to Gino, unbidden.

"You…," Kururugi's arms began to shake with unrepressed fury, "don't you dare talk to me about honour, filthy Brit. I do what Zero commands me to; this is for the greater good of Japan."

This despicable…! Gino wasn't going to let him have the last word.

"So what are you? A dog chasing after its master, obedient to every command? What if Zero isn't doing this for the greater good of Japan? What if he's duped you, what then? I wonder how disgusted you'll feel about yourself, spending so many years under this man, sacrificing your time, your life, _your honour_ …"

"…Shut up."

That tone of voice, harsh and low in undertones of bloodthirsty rage… This sort of thing, it chilled Gino to the bone. What was…?

"I should just kill you right now; after all, _Zero only needs one of you_ ,"

A shadow stood before him. Gino's eyes widened as Suzaku stood over him with an open palm, nearing his neck. The only thoughts that raced through Gino's head at this moment were memories of Anya and Rolo and finally…

"…I'm sorry, your highness…," came the frail whisper.

Suzaku's eyes widened in surprise, and then, behind them on the rooftop of the warehouse looming over the docks, was an explosion.

* * *

They were at a crossroads, at the intersection between the strip malls and several popular clubs. C.C. paused; quickly trying to decide which way would be their best option as an escape route. From the corner of Lelouch's eye, and quickened breath, he spotted a perfume shop linked into a larger mall. His violet eyes lit up upon recognition of the name of the mall.

"This way, we can cut through this mall and get to the subway station on the other side. If we're quick about it, we can catch the next subway to Ashford Academy. From there we can get back home," Lelouch pulled away from C.C.'s grip, pointing in the direction he was speaking of.

"No."

Lelouch stopped in mid-step, lips pressed into a frown as he hissed, "What do you mean by 'no,' C.C.?"

The green-haired woman stood before him, stoic. "I can't go back to that house. I'll find another way out."

As she turned to leave, Lelouch stubbornly blocked her way, "Listen, woman. I'm not going to sit here and argue about your stupid reasons for not returning to that house because I don't care! You're coming home, damn it. Nunnally is worried about you and, frankly, so am I. You've got a crazy stalker after you, C.C.! I'm not going to let you walk around unprotected!"

"Are you stupid, Lelouch? Stop pitying all these strays and save yourself while you still can. I'm doing you a favour," she responded evenly. "If you keep this up, he'll—"

" _I don't care!_ " Lelouch shouted at her. "I don't! Didn't you hear me when I told you that Nunnally's worried sick about you?" He paused to catch his breath, looking at her steadily and then softening his voice, "… Come home, C.C."

They heard panicked yells a couple of meters behind them. Mao was catching up, shooting at random bystanders that got in his way, catching sight of Lelouch and C.C.

Despite it all, C.C. merely looked up warily at Lelouch, as if she might break. Her fragile state was due to more than this Mao person, Lelouch knew. But he also knew that in time, she'd come to tell him what was going on—just as eventually, Suzaku would as well.

He wasn't an idiot. He knew the dangers, but _he took them in anyways_.

C.C. smiled to herself, cursing, and maybe even blessing, Lelouch's stupidity at the same time. She nodded at Lelouch, and they both ran into the bustling mall, away from the (ever closer) mad stalker pursuing them.

"It's for Nunnally, right?" C.C. said as they rushed up the mall steps and towards the other side, to the subway station.

He huffed heavily, nearing the subway station, though not in step with her quicker pace, "Of course."

"Idiot."

It was just another excuse for Lelouch's soft side.

One of these days, C.C. knew that his kindness (no matter he tried to deny such a word) would be his downfall. And on that day, she hoped that it wouldn't be because of her doing.

_You're a good person, Lelouch._

* * *

The sound of the explosion still rumbled in the ocean air.

"What was that?" Suzaku whirled around, glowering as he suddenly saw his fellow Black Knight, who had been standing on the rooftop with a sniper, fall down and smash into the roof of an empty car with a deafening crack. The other Black Knights who had been coming over to Suzaku's position gasped in horror, running to where their comrade had literally fallen to death.

"What's going on?"

"Call Zero, he'll know what to do!"

"There was an explosion on the roof, maybe—Gah!"

The agonizing yowls of unsuspecting Black Knights alerted Suzaku and Gino to the swift movements of a tiny figure in the distance, who had literally leapt down from the rooftop and gutted the panicking Black Knight in the back before overtaking several more Black Knights in one swift movement, too fast for anyone to catch.

"What the…?" Gino blinked.

It couldn't be…? But then… this was his chance!

Quickly, Gino assessed his surroundings, memorizing every detail he could in these precious few seconds… Wait, he remembered the knife that he had thrown which was now standing two meters away from his position, unnoticed by Kururugi…

Suzaku stepped forward towards the 'roof' incident, about to demand an explanation for why his fellow Black Knights were suddenly collapsing against the ground like mere rag dolls.

Then Gino moved.

Somehow, though his hands were tied behind him, Gino managed to make a quick somersault by shifting the weight of his knees, towards the lodged knife two meters away. Suzaku, distracted by the aftermath of the explosion and the mysterious attacks on his comrades, barely had time to react properly as the ropes around Gino's hands somehow picked up the knife in Gino's fluid somersault. The former Knight of the Rounds was able to cut through his binds with the knife and then moved towards the still form of Rolo.

"Hey!" Suzaku caught Gino's movements too late.

As the Black Knight ran after his escaped captive, Gino had all the reason to run faster. He had to live. This vengeance was pointless, Anya would have to wait for now. His main priority was taking Rolo to a safe place, and if the explosion was caused by the person Gino suspected it was, then he also had a duty to protect Prince Lelouch as well. There would be no returning to his prince's side just yet.

 _It looks like I have to be a Holy Assassin for a little longer, your highness. I'm sorry I won't be able to meet with you as we planned. But I promise to return to your side as soon as this is finished._ Gino vowed then and there.

Presently, he had to deal with V.V. and Zero.

Gino reached Rolo's unconscious body just in time, wrapping his arms around the thin boy's torso, looking up to see Suzaku's fist about to plunge once more into his bleeding face…

No impact came.

When he looked up, Suzaku Kururugi was thrown against the wall, green eyes ablaze, but unmoving. Slowly, Gino looked up to see the eyes of his saviour in slight resentment, yet still grateful to be alive.

He knew it. The explosion… the mysterious attacks on the other Black Knights…

"It's you… V.V."

The child (Gino knew he was not a mere child) looked back at him impassively, "Didn't I warn you about taking on Zero's Aces alone, Weinberg? Now look at you," the child's face scrunched up in disgust at the sight of him, "You're all covered in a disgusting red."

"Tch," he grinned darkly at him, "you always like rubbing this kind of crap in my face, don't you? Just get us the hell out of here. Rolo needs medical attention."

V.V. stared impassively up at him, and then shrugged, "Fine. I did come this far, it would be a waste to leave the game unfinished."

Silently, V.V. turned to Suzaku, as if inspecting him from head to toe. The Japanese biker growled at him, his body pinned to the wall like a patient sprawled against a table for surgery. It looked as if Suzaku was glued against the warehouse side, his limbs unable to move… but that was ridiculous, right? There was no way that Suzaku could be _glued_ against the wall…

But then again, this was V.V. That child had strange abilities that Gino couldn't explain, or even believe, for himself.

"Well… I wonder if I should finish you off…?" V.V. titled his head to the side, like a grade school student deciding which sweets to buy for lunch. "That wouldn't be very fun though… I've already killed so many of Zero's toys; he'll be irritated enough as it is with that… But you see, Zero's killed a lot of _my_ toys too, so I was just paying him back. Still…," V.V. smiled at Suzaku who was struggling against (seemingly) invisible binds, "Zero _did_ leave my two favourite dolls alive… so I guess I can spare _his_ favourite dolls for now too…"

"Bastard!" Suzaku choked out, clearly furious with the nonsense that V.V. seemed to be spouting about his beloved leader.

Gino watched in horror as something in the surface of V.V.'s eyes flickered, and then a very cruel yet incredibly sweet smile creased across V.V.'s face, "Oh… what's this? You've injured some of my favourite dolls, Zero-chan…," V.V. crooned, referring to Gino's bloodied nose and Rolo's unconscious form, "I guess I'll have to break _your_ favourite doll's limbs too…"

He didn't flinch when V.V. cut a knife into Suzaku's side, letting it bleed, the price for making Gino's nose bleed so productively before. Instead of surrendering to the pain, Suzaku spat in the child's face, a fighting demon even at the end of the battle.

Rather than becoming upset, V.V. actually smiled, "Wow, Zero… I must say I'm impressed. You've obtained such an obedient doll… though next time, I won't be so lenient on his survival…"

As abruptly as he had come, V.V. turned around on his heels, and walked back to Gino and Rolo, motioning to a car that Gino hadn't seen earlier.

"It's been fun. Tell Zero that he better step it up, Mr. Doll… Now, Weinberg… let's go," the child said in a sadistically sweet voice, to the scowling form of Suzaku, who had (finally, somehow) fallen from the wall and was scowling at them,and could still not (couldn't—but why? Thought Gino) move.

"Stop right there!" shouted a voice—Kallen, she had finally awoken, and her hands were fixed on a pistol that she had retrieved from one of her (fallen) fellow Black knights—aimed right for V.V. "Don't move!"

Oh great… how would they escape now with—Gino's thought patterns stopped as he saw the smirk on V.V.'s face.

Why was V.V. smirking? What was…?

"You're going to threaten me?"

For some reason, V.V. was finding all of this amusing. It was annoying Gino greatly. This kid had no sense of moral obligation to get Rolo to the nearest first-aid kit? This was only one of the many reasons for which Gino detested his ex-boss for.

"Weinberg. Get in the car. Drive," V.V. said flippantly, stepping into the back seat of the car.

"Hey! I said—stop!"

A shot rang out against the car hood as Gino pulled into front seat of the vehicle and laid Rolo against the seat next to his. He flinched, and was going to shout something when he saw V.V.'s cool gaze telling him to 'drive or else'.

Then Gino saw the strangest thing.

The next bullet that was fired by Kallen's pistol… Gino could've sworn he saw V.V.'s eyes glow red before the bullet ricocheted into another direction entirely. But that was impossible, wasn't it? A trick of the lighting or…

"Drive, Gino," V.V. ordered once again.

He drove, happy to get away from the aftermath of this so called appointment. He hoped to find some help for Rolo soon, and that Prince Lelouch was ok.

His thoughts about V.V. were locked in another corner of his mind for later.

* * *

They ran down half a block. The subway had taken them to a stop a block away from Ashford Academy as predicted.

Mao hadn't been able to follow them. But C.C. somehow doubted that it was the last she'd seen of him. He would come back, and this time, he would hunt Lelouch instead of her. She just knew it. The police, if they caught him, wouldn't be able to hold him for long. Mao could be quite clever when he put his mind to it. They had been lucky this time. Mao was caught off guard by Lelouch's sudden appearance and hadn't taken into account Lelouch's quick lies.

Still, considering the situation, C.C. was surprised that such a young student could've come up with such a plan, even if it did have its flaws.

C.C. stole a glance towards the tiring Lelouch, a calculating frown on her lips, "Earlier, did you plan that from the start?"

Trying not to choke between laboured breaths, Lelouch muttered, "Plan what?"

"The whole Stacy scenario. The terrorist excuse," C.C. said as a matter-of-factly.

"Oh," Lelouch paused, trying not to fall over from lack of physical stamina, "that. More or less. It was sort of a gamble. I would've come up with something more elaborate, but I didn't feel like getting shot at again. So I hoped that he wasn't too bright on the uptake."

She stared.

"...So you weren't even sure it was going to work?" C.C. scowled.

"...Would you rather I had left you there to get gunned down by a psycho? I didn't have too many options, C.C.," Lelouch returned said-scowl while raking a hand through his hair. "The only choice I had was to play on the 'insane' card, hope that he was too obsessed with you to notice that I was tricking him. It wasn't the cleverest trick in the world, but it worked. I'm surprised it _did_ work. I admit that I was expecting him to shoot me down and then deal with you, but what does matter is that, in the end, it did work."

She opened her mouth to scold him again, or to further weed out the reasons between his soft-hearted and idiotic stupidity when she noticed the slight shaking of his hands.

All of the words and biting insults in her mouth blew right out of her. She stopped, observing this boy called Lelouch Lamperouge behind a mask of indifference. He really was… just a scared little boy inside, wasn't he? And the whole time, in the ally way when he was busy plotting a way to flee the situation with both of their lives, she had not seen that. She had just seen the calm and superior mask that he raised in front of everyone.

For the first time in her life, C.C. wanted to say something, but she didn't know what or even how to. So, C.C. pretended not to care, because it was what she did best. Not care. This was what C.C. had learned to do from the day she was created. It was only fitting after all, because no one really cared about her—not until Lelouch and his household of strange family members.

She buried the unfamiliar feelings inside her heart and frowned, "…We're alive, boy. That's all that matters. I'm hungry, so when we get back you better make me a pizza."

He didn't seem surprised by her blunt words, and merely hummed in response, "Whatever you want. When we return, I want you to tell Sayoko-san and Jeremiah-kun about this Mao fellow. They'll be on guard for him, and I know they won't have a problem if you stay in the house for next couple of weeks. I don't want you wandering about and possibly getting shot at again… it's too troublesome."

Again, C.C. didn't know how to respond to this gesture of kindness. It was convenient that he assumed that Mao was the only source of her troubles, still, his willingness to trust that excuse disturbed her. She didn't really know why, unfamiliar with this emotions.

So she looked away from him, "It won't be that easy to get away from him. He has a way of finding me again."

Lelouch snorted, "Nonsense. With Sayoko-san and Jeremiah-kun around, what could possibly happen? You'll be safe, C.C."

The final sentence of his words left off on a soft and distant note.

It almost made her feel guilty for not telling him that Mao wasn't her only pursuer to be afraid of… No, Zero was much worse.

"Oh no…," Lelouch groaned.

"What is it?" C.C.'s gold eyes flicked up to him sharply.

"I forgot to get my groceries back! Now I have to buy them all over again! Nunnally will starve! We need to go back and get them before Sayoko-san finds out and tries to skin me!" Lelouch waved his arms around, cursing his forgetfulness (who in the world had the time to think about groceries while being held prisoner by a crazy stalker holding a gun?)

C.C. couldn't help but smirk at him.

This boy... he was getting to her.

* * *

Where were they?

In the outskirts of the subway station, Mao had lost sight of C.C. and the other Britannian student. The police had been easy to escape from. All Mao had to do was hide among the shadows and pretend to be an innocent civilian once he had cleared a few blocks. After years of stealthily tracking down C.C., he knew plenty about avoiding the authorities.

Now, to the issue at hand… figuring out where his C.C. and that meddling boy had run off to…

His only clues to their whereabouts were a few minor details that they had let slip. He already knew that that the whole 'Stacy' issue was most likely a lie, judging from the reactions from the waitress who had screamed at him and seemed to have no regard towards the Britannian student.

But Mao remembered other details. His precious C.C. had mentioned something about a job at Pizza House, and he could always tell when she was lying. That fact was most likely true.

He smirked even wider.

"Just you wait, you meddlesome boy… I'll find you, and when I do, I'll make sure to finish what I should've done the moment I saw you. But before that, I'll toy with you, I'll find out what makes you tick… just you wait. C.C., my dear, I'll save you from that oppressive little boy…"

There was plenty of time. Sure there were a dozen of Pizza Houses in the Tokyo Settlement, but Mao would use that time searching to scheme a worthy revenge, something worthy of his beloved C.C. This would be a testament to his love for her. He would run into that meddling boy again, he knew it.

This game would be fun.

His laughter echoed through the ally way and into the darkening sky.

* * *

"But Sayoko-san, I have to go and—"

"—Buy groceries? Yes, so I've heard Lelouch-sama, but if you aren't aware of it already, there is supposedly a _stalker_ after this woman," she glanced at C.C. distastefully, "who has seen your _face_ and could still be at large at this very moment! Your life could still be in danger, Lelouch-sama, so I am restricting you and the woman to this house until further notice! You will be escorted to and from school by someone at all times, which includes work as well. No more going out into the city to do your shopping, I will do that for you. Until we are certain that this Mao suspect is jailed and unable to get within a 500 meter radius of you, I will not let up on these safety measures!"

The ex-prince stood rigid against the staircase, a bit thrown-off by his maid's incredibly long and forceful lecture. Beside him, C.C.'s bored eyes glued to the ceiling light. She obviously had no qualms about this situation at all. Lelouch on the other hand, feared for his life. Sayoko and Jeremiah could be quite the terrifying pair. This brought back memories of his junior high days, when they wouldn't even let him go to school in peace, demanding that he and Nunnally be home schooled instead.

They could be quite ridiculously protective at times such as these.

Sometimes Lelouch wished he could just explode from all the stress he suffered in his life. Maybe it'd even be therapeutic for his health.

Right…

"Sayoko-san is correct, Lelouch-sama," Jeremiah frowned at him and C.C., arms crossed, "I will start patrols for this character. Please give me a description of him."

"I just—"

"No debates on this one, Lelouch-sama. Leave Mao to us," Jeremiah pressed on gently, though his tone of voice told them another story.

'Orange' was clearly angered that someone had threatened his precious charge and was eager to bestow judgement upon them. Lelouch felt exasperated over the restrictions over his freedom, but he could somewhat understand. Even still, he felt that this was going over the top.

"… Are you sure about this, Sayoko-san? Jeremiah-kun? I'm feeling fine. I got away in one piece. I can buy my groceries in another area of the city," Lelouch tried to negotiate with them.

"Unless we're there with you, Lelouch-sama, I don't think you'll be going to many outings anymore," they responded.

"Sa—"

They used their trump card, though they disliked resorting to it every single time to get what they wanted. There was really no other option and it was Lelouch's one and only weakness that they could frequently exploit.

"If Mao finds out about Nunnally…"

That was that.

Guilt and flashbacks from the 'incident' flooded his mind and Lelouch was silenced into submission, an air of melancholy surrounding him as he marched obediently up the stairs, followed by C.C. up till the door to Nunnally's room, to his bedroom. Sayoko and Jeremiah stared sadly at his retreating form, knowing well the reason for his change of mood.

Lelouch shot a glare at C.C., who snickered at him for being 'treated as a juvenile delinquent.' Obviously she was back to her normal self. He would have no trouble revoking the rest of his sympathy for her this evening.

As soon as the door to his room was shut, Lelouch sunk to his knees, letting his back lay against the door and his eyes look passively at his bed. For a long time, he merely sat there, unaware of the hours that had passed by in his contemplation.

Sometimes, memories from the 'incident' came to Lelouch without any warning and made him plunge into despair.

It reminded him about his responsibilities towards Nunnally, and the debts he had yet to repay.

It reminded him that he was a powerless little individual, who could do nothing to change the world. No matter what he did, Britannia would always be ruling over the Areas. His father had indubitably caused the death of his mother. His sister had suffered in the 'incident' because of his foolish actions. And in the end... Lelouch was just another helpless person who needed to be saved by others.

He hated himself so much sometimes—it made him want to hate the world and everything in it—but he couldn't stop _caring_.

Damn it… it hurt so much and yet, here he was, still hanging on to whatever threads and lives he could, hoping to _save_ _them_ or help them or…

"… You can't change the world, Lelouch," he told himself bitterly once more, "so stop thinking about it."

Everyone was right, he really needed to stop taking in strays. It would create trouble for him—but more so for Nunnally. For her sake, he needed to protect her from strangers who could indirectly bring her harm. His encounter with Mao, along with the possibilities it had, showed Lelouch that. If he had died because his impulsive words had set off Mao, Nunnally would've been devastated… He couldn't do that to his sister. He promised her that much at least, after the 'incident' so many years ago that he would not _die_ on her.

_And yet even now, he still…_

The clock by Lelouch's bedside read 9:30 pm. Surprised by how quickly time had seemed to pass, Lelouch got up and went to change his clothes when he realized the significance of the time on the clock.

Suzaku hadn't come back from his 'appointment' yet.

Suzaku hadn't come back yet.

Breaths quickening, Lelouch let his fresh change of clothes fall to the ground as he went over to pick up his cell phone. No, he was not panicking over that idiotic biker, he was just… just… checking up on him. He needed to know that Suzaku hadn't _also_ been taken captive by a crazy stalker just as Lelouch had this morning. Considering the day's traumatic experience, Lelouch thought he had the right to… er… _slightly concerned_ , if his house guest had not returned home, an hour before he was supposed to.

Yes, that was it, Lelouch was just being a _concerned_ friend like Kururugi had suggested.

Just as Lelouch's fingers graced over number pad, it occurred to him that he had never bothered to ask his moronic house guest if he even owned a cell phone, or for any sort of emergency number in the first place.

 _Nice going, Lelouch_ , he reprimanded himself, _now how do you call him?_

But what could Lelouch do? He considered digging out the telephone book and looking up _Ohgi's Black Tea_ and just asking Ohgi if he knew anything about Suzaku's appointment. Yes, that wasn't such a bad idea. Ohgi wouldn't ask too many questions and he wouldn't think anything of Lelouch's call.

Before Lelouch knew it, he had already dialled the number of Ohgi's tea shop.

The phone ringed seven times (not that Lelouch was counting in his—not—impatience) before anyone picked it up.

" _Good evening,_ Ohgi's Black Tea _, Ohgi speaking, how may I help you_?"

"Ohgi-kun!" Lelouch said too urgently for his own liking.

There was some shuffling on the other line, as Lelouch imagined Ohgi getting a better grip on the phone, " _Le… Lelouch? How'd you get this number? Is there something wrong?_ "

"I looked it up on the directory. Look, I just wanted to know if you've seen Suzaku. He said something about an appointment—"

Ohgi cut him off, " _Did he say what kind of appointment?_ "

"No," snapped Lelouch. "Look that's not important. What's important is that—"

 _He's not here,_ was what Lelouch was going to say when he felt the phone slip out of his hands and clatter to the floor noisily. Ohgi's startled words of 'Lelouch? Are you there?' on the other line were forgotten. A startled cry choked within the confines of his throat when Lelouch felt warm arms wrap around his waist, and a cool draft flow through the room and cause the curtains to flutter. One arm lazily rose to Lelouch's cheek, just below his lips.

Someone was in this room with Lelouch and he was busy caressing (more like molesting) Lelouch's face.

Lelouch turned around, about to knee this stranger just as he did with Mao earlier this afternoon when he found himself falling backwards. The stranger's body fell against Lelouch, making both topple against the carpeted floor in a knot of limbs. Lelouch felt very squashed and indignant, hissing his protest when he felt his skin brush against very familiar caramel curls and his senses filled with the welcoming scent of pine and fresh grass.

It was then that Lelouch realized whose head was sprawled over Lelouch's chest and whose body was weighing Lelouch against the floor.

"…Suzaku?" Lelouch whispered hurriedly, observing the biker's feverish state, and half-closed green eyes. "Wait. What are you doing here? I locked the door, you…"

His eyes glanced at the open window, which he had not noticed in his hasty call to Ohgi. The facts startled Lelouch.

"You didn't come in to my bedroom through the _window_ , did you?" Lelouch asked incredulously, still uncomfortable in his present position.

He had not expected Suzaku to answer in his current condition, but apparently Suzaku responded well to the sound of his voice and managed to reply with a slurred, "Yup…"

"Are you insane? Why didn't you come through the front door? I thought you were another Mao!" Lelouch said angrily.

"…Didn't want to…," Suzaku slurred again, his mop of messy curls smothered against Lelouch's shirt, as the biker breathed into his chest. His arms, tangled around Lelouch's waist and one over Lelouch's pale wrist, refused to let go of their tight grip. It made it difficult for Lelouch to move, and he couldn't stop the slight blush that rose to his face at such close proximities.

"Suzaku… get off!"

"...Mm… sleepy… got hurt…. Wanted to see you…"

"You got hurt?" Lelouch whispered harshly, trying to check Suzaku over for any gashes, "Why didn't you say so—"

He felt something warm at Suzaku's side. It was blood—clear as day. A thousand questions threatened to spill from Lelouch's lips but he knew it wasn't the time. He had to get this buffoon off of him and then call a hospital and stop the bleeding…!

Quickly, Lelouch moved (or tried too, Suzaku was such a clingy bastard!) towards the phone, which was sitting in the middle of the floor. His fingers stretched out to reach it so that Lelouch could dial an emergency number. He was tempted to yell at Suzaku and kick him off, but he didn't want to hurt him. The biker was already bleeding for God knows what reason and Lelouch would be damned if he let anything else happen to Suzaku now!

"Ugh! Suzaku, I know you're injured," Lelouch said in a softer tone towards the clearly delirious biker, "but I want you to try and roll off me, I have to get a hospital alright? We need to treat your injuries."

"…Mm… Hospital…?" Suzaku's hands flew out at Lelouch dangerously, swiping at Lelouch's shoulder and then pulling the boy closer to his chest, "no… I don't wanna… can't… Identification… Toudou said 'not to trust'… but you… I trust you…. Mm…"

Several seconds ticked by, with Lelouch sandwiched against Suzaku's chest, in a flurry of panic (need to stop bleeding now!) and anxiety (tooclosetooclosetooclose—), conflicted between pushing him off and letting him be.

"Suzaku!" Lelouch snapped, "If I don't get you some help, your condition could get worse, now get the hell off!"

If he was seriously injured… if he died… Lelouch would…

"…I'm fine, Lelouch… Not bleeding anymore… patched it up already… just sleepy…"

"Suzaku…? Suzaku! Hey! Wait, what are you—"

Light snores filled the room, leaving Lelouch lying in stunned quiet against a rather heavy Suzaku. He felt his face redden from what he knew was anger… and embarrassment.

" _Suzaku Kururugi_!" He slapped Suzaku's cheek, extra hard, just to wake the idiot up, watching as green eyes blinked up at him confused, "Go over to the bed and sit up straight! I'm treating your wounds, damn it! If you don't want to go to the hospital, at least let me check on them!"

_And yet even now, he still cared._

 

Walk On In

Extra Scene: Takes Place in Chapter 3

At times, Suzaku really disliked that cat dubbed Arthur. That cat followed Lelouch everywhere without any consequence. It could snuggle against Lelouch's side without getting a hissy fit in return, it could prod Lelouch at the fingers when it was bored without getting reprimanded and it could even eat from Lelouch's dish at dinner time if it looked cute enough. Really, Lelouch treated that cat better than Suzaku!

He glared at said-cat, which was innocently looking up at him from the carpet of Lelouch's bedroom. _Damn you Arthur_ , thought Suzaku. _If he could look at me the way he looks at you._

Geez, what was Suzaku doing? Getting jealous of a mere feline? Honestly, Toudou would scold him and ask him whether or not he was a man of Japan. That was right, as a man of Japan; he needed to take what he wanted! He would not let Arthur steal Lelouch's attention from him!

"Hello Lelouch," Suzaku leaned against the side of the Britannian student's oak desk, an elbow touching the tip of Lelouch's history papers.

Irritated, Lelouch lifted his reading glasses of his nose, a pen arched in his right hand. One elegant eyebrow raised up in question, "What are you doing, Suzaku?"

"Oh just... talking," Suzaku pressed on, grinning from ear to ear, "You?"

Lelouch glared at him, "Homework."

Suzaku flushed, "Er... stupid question. Ok, um, what kind of homework?"

Cue eye twitch.

"Can't you read? It's _history_ homework, a very _important_ assignment which I can't waste any time on by chatting with _you_."

Given the cold shoulder, Suzaku slumped back against the bed, disappointed. He was bored and Lelouch was helping matters with that grouchy attitude of his.

Then, much to Suzaku's irritation, Arthur pounced up to Lelouch's lap, purring in contentment as Lelouch's left hand came down to absentmindedly stroke the cat's fur, while scribbling away more notes.

Suzaku glowered at the (smirking) cat.

_You win this round..._

The next day, Suzaku tried a different approach. If it talking to Lelouch during his studying sessions was a bad idea, than Suzaku would try getting Lelouch's attention when the boy was washing dishes.

"Hi Lelouch, how are you?" Suzaku chirped, standing beside him, "Do you need help with the washing?"

Looking up at him suspiciously, as if to say _what are you doing talking to me?_ , Lelouch frowned and then shrugged, handing Suzaku a dish, "Go ahead and wash away."

 _Yes!_ Suzaku shouted inwardly, happily complying to Lelouch's request, _can_ you _help Lelouch do the chores, Arthur? No, you can't! You're just a_ cat!

There was a loud yowling sound outside the window.

"What was that?" Lelouch asked sharply, looking out into the lawn where a medium sized tree stood to the right of the walkway. "Wait... Arthur, what are you doing in that tree? Get down at once!"

"Huh? Wait! Lelouch—"

The boy had already left Suzaku alone with the dishes, to rescue poor (yeah right) Arthur from the evil tree branch.

Scowling, Suzaku followed him, cursing the clever feline that had probably planned this from the start...

"Arthur, you stupid cat, jump down right now!" Lelouch shouted up at the tree, looking quite indignant for himself.

Suzaku could barely suppress his laughter at the sight.

Lelouch seethed at him, muttering about stupid bikers and then attempted to climb up the tree after Arthur, much to Suzaku's amusement-soon-turned-to-cautiousness.

"Er... wait, Lelouch, I can go get Arthur if you want, you'll—"

The tree branch that Lelouch had been standing on snapped. And there was a loud crash and cursing fall.

"Lelouch!" Suzaku opened up his arms, to try and catch the boy when...

"I'll save you, Lelouch-sama!"

He was pushed away from Jeremiah (who had apparently decided to come home early for once. Honestly, the world was against Suzaku Kururugi!) who was able to save Lelouch from a nasty fall.

Suzaku glared up at the (smirking) cat in the tree.

_Damn you, Arthur..._

Later that day, after Lelouch was fussed over by Sayoko and Jeremiah after his recent fall, Suzaku was busy sulking by the dinner table, sitting with Nunnally who was folding paper cranes.

The biker gave a great big sigh, making Nunnally's head turn in his direction.

"Are you still upset that you haven't gotten Onii-sama's attention from the cat, Suzaku-san?" Nunnally asked innocently.

He blinked at her, "How did you know that?"

"C.C. told me all about it," Nunnally said easily. "Don't worry, I know a great way to get my Onii-sama's undivided attention. It works every time. Listen..."

She whispered in his ear.

He smirked.

When Lelouch got home from work at Pizza House, he wished the other occupants of the Lamperouge household a good night and then stumbled up the stairs to go to bed. He did not expect to see Suzaku sitting at his desk, eating a bowl of delicious, delectable _strawberries._

Lelouch's eyes widened, as he tried to mask his voice into a careful coolness, "...Where did you get that bowl of strawberries, Suzaku?"

The biker smirked at him, "Oh, no where... just in the fridge hidden behind a jar of jam..."

One second passed. Then two. Then three. Then before he knew it, several more minutes. Stare... stare... stare... starestarestare...

Before long, Lelouch turned his head, mumbling something incoherent.

"Hm?" Suzaku smiled, "what did you say?"

Lelouch frowned and then repeated himself, "... Can I have some?"

"Mm...," Suzaku watched Lelouch's eager face in amusement, "Sure why not?"

" _You see, Suzaku-san, Lelouch loves strawberries more than any other food. It's like chocolate to him. You should try sharing some with him. There's no way he'll refuse you."_

Yup, Nunnally was an angel, Suzaku concluded.

He'd like to see Arthur try and feed Lelouch strawberries. Damn cat.


	7. CHapter 6: Rest

" _Suzaku! Suzaku are you alright? Get up! Damn it, they're getting away..._ _"_

He felt Kallen prop his body up against her shoulder. She was scowling, bitter with the result of their appointment. Although they had [won](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5321256/7/Walk_On_In) the duel, they had failed to reach their objective of capturing the two Holy Assassins.

Kallen began to swear productively under her breath. If Suzaku hadn't known better, he could've sworn that there were bitter tears threatening to leak from within the corner of her eyes. He was too dizzy to tell. Damn…

The images were fuzzy in his mind. Numbing pain made him want to vomit; his world was spinning out of control because of whatever that kid had done. He wanted to fall over and just let the ringing in his head stop. Damn, he couldn't remember a time when he had felt this bad for years. The sheer impossibility of it registered in his mind, repeating over and over again that it was just a fluke, nothing major.

Just what had that V.V. done to him a few moments ago? There had been a red tinge to that kid's eyes, and suddenly Suzaku felt himself _stuck_ to the wall. He hadn't seen such a strange ability from anyone but C.C. Perhaps C.C. and V.V. were the same type of people? They did share the annoying habit of going by their initials after all…

Time must've passed by, because Suzaku felt the waves of dizziness lift, as he stood up, not even wincing at the large gash on his side (courtesy of V.V.) and then glaring down at his feet, turning to the nearest person he could see. His wounds were tended to. Obviously Kallen had tended to them.

They were still at the docks. The bodies of their fallen comrades were lined by the boat that Zero had gotten for them. In the original plan, Suzaku and Kallen would've taken the boat and their hostages straight to Zero. Now, the boat seemed like a trip right into the [confirmation](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5321256/7/Walk_On_In) of their failure.

The memories came rushing back. The duel, the fight, the capture, the explosions, the [getaway](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5321256/7/Walk_On_In), the stench of _failure_ …

They had never failed a mission from Zero before.

Damn it. This wasn't supposed to happen. _Damn it_. How could he claim to have the power to liberate Japan when he was too weak to get his hands on two measly Britannian Assassins?

Kallen was sitting by the foot of the dock, [body](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5321256/7/Walk_On_In) submerged in water. Her head rushed up from beneath the surface of the black sea, as she rolled back her head and gave a bitter laugh.

"Some Black Knights we are, huh?" Kallen chuckled darkly at herself.

He sank to his knees, torn between beating himself up for his mistake or just going off into a rampage and killing someone. The frustration was a snake uncoiling from around his body, threatening to strangle anyone who got close.

"Where are they?" Suzaku muttered in a low voice, getting up to his feet. "We're going after them…"

He was about to fall down but, stubbornly, he kept his legs upright.

"Suzaku…," Kallen said warily, "They're gone."

No… No they couldn't be gone. He couldn't just _fail_ … If Zero knew, if Toudou knew… damn it, if…

Her voice spoke of nothing but utter defeat and complete conviction to get her hands on Gino the next time she saw him. "We'll find them again. For now we need to bury our comrades, and treat your wound. I already called Zero. He's coming to get us."

"No!" Suzaku shouted, "I can find them! I can complete the mission! _I'm fine_ , don't let Zero come and pick us up like, like _children_. We're his _aces_! We're going to help him _change the world_ , we can't be held back by these two—"

"Suzaku."

That voice. Suzaku tensed—afraid to move. He knew that voice. He knew what it meant. He turned around.

There was Zero, standing right behind them. In the distance was a truck to transport them to the next location. Still as a mountain, Zero merely watched them (or at least, it felt like he was watching them. You could never tell with that mask of his), his long black cape flowing behind him like a piece of the night sky. He looked every bit like the hero of comic books, one who came to save the people from the tyranny of evil villains and villainesses.

For shame, Suzaku couldn't bring himself to look up at Zero, at the man he revered for so many years, at the symbol of his revenge. He couldn't.

Instead, he fell to his knees, and then he whispered a small "I'm sorry."

**Walk On In**

**6 –Rest-**

"What's going on here?"

The question rang through the room, an echo which would remain unanswered, though asked a hundred times over. It was a run-down apartment, unusual for V.V. who Gino knew favoured classy hotel rooms and clubs where no children (the irony never failed to amuse him) were allowed to venture. Gino hadn't paid too much attention to what area of the city it was in, concentrating more on the driving and his worry for Rolo and Prince Lelouch. He knew that it wasn't in the Shinjuku ghetto, and that it was near the outskirts of the Tokyo Settlement. The apartment reeked of something smelly—Gino didn't even want to know what it was.

Orbs reflected back at him eerily. The room, enshrouded in shadow and ripped curtains, topped with its half-eaten furniture and dusty floors suggested that no one lived in it until now. Well, from the lack of dust in the living room and kitchen, Gino could presume that perhaps V.V. had been lodging here for a time but hadn't seen it important to clean the place up. This either meant that V.V. didn't mean to stay here for long or that he was doing this on purpose.

Lying on the sofa, Rolo breathed heavily, wounds tended to by Gino. He thanked god that they were nothing serious or life-threatening. The boy would only need some rest and then Gino would tell him to find Prince Lelouch and stay with him. Gino would deal with V.V. on his own. There was no need to get Rolo any more involved in this assassin's life. It was cursed.

In the darkened creepy run-down apartment, V.V. sat poised on the couch, those orbs reflecting back at Gino.

And then Gino was reminded, once more, of that flash of red he had seen just little over an hour ago, and that reflected a bullet…

Again, Gino asked his question.

V.V. pretended not to hear him. Looking up at his nails instead, as if they were more interesting, he said casually, "Are you sure you want to know _the whole story_ , Weinberg?"

"Well, of course I do—"

"Maybe I'm not being clear enough…," V.V. shrugged to himself, a careless smirk in place. He pinned Gino with a steely gaze, "… I meant, do you want to hear _everything_? Not just the explanation for my powers, but _everything_ —how I know Zero, what my connection to him is, _what he wants_ … and, how he is related to your… precious little _prince_."

If there had been a cup in his hand, it would've shattered in a typical cliché shock. But all Gino could do was let his jaw drop at the shock of knowing that _V.V. knew about Prince Lelouch._ The prince was in danger. He had to kill anyone else who knew about the royal siblings being alive now or—

"Calm down, little knight," V.V. laughed haughtily, letting his elbows drape against the couch arm like a cat. "I won't lay a finger on your prince. I'm just giving you knowledge. Don't you want to know who the real enemy is? Who doesn't have your prince's best interests at heart?"

Gino stilled. There was something off about this situation… something V.V. wasn't telling him. He narrowed his eyes at the child (was he a child? Sometimes, Gino felt like V.V. was very much like an ageless creature. Sometimes, he was like an overgrown baby.), frowning.

"Why are you telling me this now? What's in it for you?"

Again, those eyes seemed to flash again, but this time, from something close to elation, as if V.V. was high (was he?), the child moved forward, opening his lips to whisper, "Because… I'm tired of this endless charade and I need your help to end it once and for all."

There was a pause. Nothing moved. No one breathed.

And V.V. smiled, the lack of lighting in the room making all of the twists in his face look awfully sinister, this child who talked like an adult.

"So," he began quite presumptuously, "do you want to hear the story?"

* * *

For some entirely stupid reason that Lelouch couldn't possibly know, Suzaku did not move from this spot, sprawled unruly, over Lelouch. His eyes, slurred in a way the ex-prince definitely didn't like, seemed to be looking past him to the ceiling, like a newborn babe. Either Suzaku hadn't heard what Lelouch had said at all (which Lelouch doubted) or the biker didn't want to move.

Either way, it annoyed him greatly, especially with the hysteria threatening to spill from his throat from sheer screaming common sense which dictated that the wound at Suzaku's side needed to be looked at— _now_.

"Suzaku," Lelouch glared at him with fiery orbs, issuing the order as a refined and vicious king in a low snarl, "I will never let you sleep in my bed again unless _you do as you're told_. Now get your lazy arse up to the mattress so that I can get a look at your wound or you'll be condemned to lumping on a soggy couch for the rest of your stay here!"

Now, Suzaku may had not understood him before in his present state, but he was certainly obeying like a nice little puppy—er, houseguest—once Lelouch made it absolutely clear that he would tolerate no tomfoolery. Faster than Lelouch could blink, Suzaku had stumbled to his feet and crawled up sloppily to the bed, sitting up as straight as he possibly could (which wasn't much, not while he was acting like a tipsy drunkard).

The (attempted) innocent look on Suzaku's face made Lelouch's stomach queasy in a way he couldn't explain, and then he straightened himself up and with all of the refined dignity he had left inside him, stood over Suzaku like a pushy doctor. The calculating persona of Lelouch slipped on easily as it did when he had been attacked by Mao early today, and he immediately put his hand on Suzaku's chest, looking for the wound.

Suzaku giggled.

Lelouch paused, about to lift up Suzaku's shirt in his inspection, and raised a clearly irritated eyebrow at his 'patient.'

Noticing the odd look he was being given, Suzaku hastily explained (in a very hard to decipher mumble), "…it feels funny."

Another damned giggle emerged from Suzaku's lips. Growling, and trying to glare away his own rising scarlet blush, Lelouch tugged at Suzaku's shirt, his pale hands meeting Suzaku's tanned and very toned torso.

His eyes widened in slight surprise at the well-shaped upper body that the Japanese boy hid beneath all of his gangly and unsightly leather jackets. It was clear that Suzaku worked out… and it definitely showed. Lelouch couldn't describe it, how solid his fingers felt against the build of Suzaku's torso and the flat of his stomach. He found himself letting the tips of his hands linger for longer than necessary over the ripples of Suzaku's muscled chest, before he scowled inwardly at himself for dawdling while there were more important matters to attend to than this, and proceeded to continue looking for the blood he had felt earlier.

Once more, Suzaku let out a choked giggle and then a light sigh.

"Your hands feel cold," Suzaku said bluntly, though Lelouch would overlook his idiotic remarks for now, given his state of mind.

Still, it made him go pink once more. He glared at Suzaku, fighting the urge to pinch his skin for payback, even if he was an injured person.

Though Suzaku's chest was really did have a nice glow to it against the moonlight coming from the window, making him look more solid and ethereal yet— _whoa, stop!_ What the hell was Lelouch doing, sneaking glances back towards Suzaku's damn chest? Every man obviously had the same build, though probably not as nicely tanned as Suzaku's or as well-sculpted yet— _not again!_ This was it! He was not going to think about Suzaku's very alluring—not alluring!—chest!

…He just wasn't used to seeing exposed skin given his tight upbringing.

(An eleven-year old Lelouch Lamperouge sat down looking through a picture book, when he came across a picture with a woman wearing _a tank top and khakis_ , while the man across from her was merely shirtless because he was about to go swimming at the beach.

Cue the entrance of Sayoko-san the super protective parent blocker!

"Lelouch-sama! What are you reading?" she screeched, snatching the picture book away from the poor boy in an instant, "Just look at the amount of _skin_ that they're showing! They published this as a children's book? _What heresy_! I'll go burn it right away!"

"But Sayoko-san! I need it to do a book report—"

"Read this instead."

A book titled 'Molly the Rabbit' was handed to him instead. There were cute little animals in it. Hardly a book for an eleven-year old.

At least this explained Sayoko-san's dislike of C.C.'s clothing.)

Anyways, Lelouch stopped his current train of thought, as he came upon a bundle of bandages at Suzaku's side, wrapped expertly with obvious care. Someone (or maybe it was Suzaku himself) had already seen to the wound.

Already, Lelouch felt slightly foolish, standing over Suzaku, lifting up the biker's shirt, and staring blankly at the wound that didn't need to be treated, because it already was.

The blood… Lelouch had sworn that he had felt some blood somewhere…

The side of Suzaku's leather jacket touched against Lelouch's hand and he felt the dark dampness of gushing red. Immediately, Lelouch pulled the jacket off of Suzaku, inspecting the thick blood stains that were clearly there.

Blood, still slightly fresh, worn from the jacket onto Lelouch's pale fingertips, shone as clear as day in the moonlit room. He couldn't tell, but it was slightly obvious that the blood was a remainder from the moment Suzaku had gained his injury, having yet to be washed out.

Even so, the sight of it filled Lelouch with a shuddering revulsion which seemed to overtake Lelouch like a swooping phantom. He didn't think that he had ever felt so enraged since the incident, or so disturbingly… distraught. He felt everything go still, and then, Lelouch did nothing but glower darkly at the biker sitting on his bed.

"…What is this?" Lelouch scowled at his patient, who was now humming a Japanese children's song 'Kagome, Kagome' to himself.

Instantly a carefree smile, a sloppy and blurred one which didn't seem to fit into this situation, flashed across Suzaku's face, "Oh it's nothing. I just got nearly stabbed, well, stabbed, but it was no big deal because I'll get them eventually—"

"… _What?_ You got stabbed? What the _hell_ were you—"

"Kallen patched me up just fine, Lu!" Suzaku gave out that sickening giggle once more, "Totally minor, ya know? I'll be fine… I was just feeling pissed off so I had a few drinks and then I wanted to see you so I climbed through the window and—"

"Wait, wait, you had a _few drinks_? ( _That bastard that dared to call himself a father lifted up another glass. He leaned over Lelouch and Nunnally's cowering forms, a breath of wretched alcohol-tinged breath clouding over them. If hell was a place, Lelouch was certain it smelled like this—fear and alcohol.)_ Right after you nearly got killed? And you didn't even—"

"Actually, more like twenty or something but—"

"Oh that just makes me feel even better, you had _twenty_ drinks. Just great. Now, uh, when were you planning on coming back to the house, Suzaku, huh? When you passed out? Here I am worrying my butt off over you, when you were busy drinking it up at a _bar_ of all places and now—"

There was a red tinge to Suzaku's face that Lelouch hadn't taken notice to before, his dulled eyes, glazed over by the influence of drink, seemed to dimmer at once at Lelouch's fired words. His aura darkened and returned to its former state of mind that it had been just after the duel—defeated, angry and vengeful. Soon the biker was tottering to his feet, placing a hand on Lelouch's shoulder, saying, "Lelouch I—"

"Don't touch me!" Lelouch backed away immediately, "It's one thing for you to _smoke_ in this house but drinking until you're dead doesn't—"

" _I failed alright? I couldn't do one simple mission! I fucking failed and now, I don't think I can even die to redeem myself! I'm a fucking failure!_ " Suzaku roared at him, holding Lelouch firmly by both shoulders.

(Surprisingly enough, downstairs, Sayoko-san and Jeremiah-kun were busy watching a tutorial about how to hunt down a stalker using a machine gun, downloaded from the internet, and, thus, didn't hear the sudden outburst coming from Lelouch's room. C.C., however, lifted up her eyebrows, and muttered, 'Huh, he's home' and then continued to flip through another magazine.)

All was quiet. The heavy breathing from exhaling from Suzaku's chest, and Lelouch's own quiet ones, filled the silence desperately like an overwhelming drug. Suzaku's face, livid and illuminated by the pale light, was wild, deranged, the face of a man who had never known failure, getting his first taste of it.

And Lelouch looked as indifferent to it all as when Mao had tried to shoot him a bullet. The scar on Lelouch's cheek tingled under the pressure.

They merely stared at each other—the violet, calm and calculating gaze against the wild and lost, yet helpless, green.

Thoughts raced. In Lelouch's mind, they were processing shock and horror, yet instances of memory would accompany them. In Suzaku's, only despair and a ripping terror known as self-hatred. They were at a crossroads, unable to speak.

It was Lelouch, who clicked together the new pieces of the puzzle into his head, and he narrowed his eyes at his opponent.

"So…," after what seemed like eons, Lelouch spoke out coldly, "just because you failed once, you're going to give up what's precious to you?"

Wild eyes seemed to brighten in tinges of harsh emotions when he spoke.

Yet Lelouch continued on, as if he hadn't noticed.

"You may have failed once, Suzaku, but that does not make you a failure. Failures are those who refuse to stand when they are first faced with defeat. Those who play to win are those who learn from their past defeats, and use that knowledge to crush their future foes. No matter what the obstacles, they see to their chosen paths to the very end, and they never give up. And you, Suzaku Kururugi, _are not a failure._ "

He stepped forward, and Suzaku (this wild and fiery lost child that Lelouch had never suspected the carefree Suzaku to have within him) actually heightened his breath, about to back away. And then Lelouch lifted up his arms…

…And he gently put them over Suzaku's shoulders, in a featherlike embrace, his lips gracing over Suzaku's ear while he finally let his hardened mask melt away (though Suzaku couldn't see it) into a gentle and kind expression.

A startled gasp made its way from Suzaku's throat, and then tanned arms moved their way up to engulf the pale Britannian in a warm embrace. They stood like that, holding each other, for a very long time, as if afraid to break the chilling silence and the warmth of arms around one another. The very hold and assurance of another body to be pressed against was like an anchor to a safe haven, something intimate that neither had indulged in for more than a lifetime.

Lelouch didn't even know why he was doing this. It was just… now of all times… he felt that he had to follow through with his impulsive decisions. Whenever he saw helpless eyes, he just couldn't help it. Something within him melted inside at the sight of such fragility. Something within him reached out before Lelouch had time to think of it.

Like now.

Suzaku was still, returning the embrace carefully, as if he were afraid it might break. Slowly, he asked in a slurred voice, one that slightly bothered Lelouch, "… why?"

The ex-prince blinked, waiting for the biker to elaborate. When the biker did not, it did not take long for the Britannian to figure out what Suzaku meant, and even Lelouch didn't quite know how to answer it. How was he to explain that he had felt so indignant when Suzaku had insulted himself? How was he to explain that he had always subconsciously (whether he wanted to admit it or not) admired Suzaku for his bright nature and smiles? How he was he to explain that he actually… liked that part of the idiot?

He couldn't.

So, he settled for something vaguer—more honest. It was something that he had never really admitted of himself.

"…Because you're stronger than this," Lelouch whispered to him, pausing before going on, "strong enough to resist succumbing to the weakness of drugs or alcohol."

( _Lelouch closed his eyes, holding Nunnally's hand tightly just as_ that man _was about to throw his fists towards them. When he looked up, it was his mother who stood over them, her back bleeding. A shattered bottle of Britannia's finest wine lay smashed all over the ground.)_

"If there is anyone who could be called a failure…," Lelouch's kind and calm voice lowered to a dying sigh.

_(He crept over to the frail body, crushed by the trees and roots, unable to contain any tears. "…Nunnally…?" came the frightened whisper, "Nunnally… Nunnally! Please… please don't die!")_

"It's me," Lelouch finished quietly, his voice barely a whisper, "and I know this best."

Unnoticed to Lelouch, Suzaku allowed his arms to tighten around Lelouch's waist, pulling the thin boy closer to him. They were quiet again—silence seemed to habitually follow the pair whenever they spent time together—but this time, this quietness had a calming gesture to it.

But it wasn't long before the silence was disrupted.

"Le…Lelouch…?" Suzaku's voice, sounding surprisingly fatigued and worn-out, crept into the Britannian's ears.

"Hm?" He absentmindedly let his attention return.

"I… I feel dizzy…"

Lelouch froze, "Dizzy? Dizzy how? Do you have a fever? Is it the alcohol?"

"Just… I want to fall over…"

"Get back on the bed, Suzaku. I'll go get Sayoko-san, we'll phone a doctor. You must be ill—"

"No!" Suzaku tightened his arms around him, refusing to release his hold, "I don't trust doctors! Toudou always told me to avoid them! I can't let… can't let…"

To Lelouch's growing panic, Suzaku fell over on to the mattress, part of his feet strewing off the side of it like dangling leaves off of a stem.

 _Oh shit_ , thought Lelouch.

Instantly, he was by Suzaku's side, pulling up the biker's legs so that they lay completely on the mattress, and then began his colossal search for a first aid kit. He feared that the wounds might've reopened, or worse. And if Suzaku didn't want to get any professional medical help, then Lelouch would just have to take care of him by himself.

Lelouch began to run to and fro without any sense of where to go, his head on a panic-mode autopilot.

Blankets—where were the damn blankets? Tripping over a few carelessly strewn clothes on the floor, dropped from his earlier shock, Lelouch hissed out in something akin to a fit as his fingers scraped over the edge of his drawers. Never mind the extremely inconvenient scrapes and bruises Lelouch seemed to be accumulating in his hurried attempts to gather the needed supplies to tend to one annoying (and delirious) Japanese biker's wounds, he needed to find the first aid kit and more blankets, a spare change of clothes for the sweating body on his bed, maybe some water to cool that fever…

Tumbling forward, Lelouch found his face meeting its best friend—the floor—once more. His foot had gotten twisted in the confines of another fallen shirt that Lelouch had not noticed in his hurried movements. It took all of the resolve within Lelouch not to groan in aggravation at himself for being so foolishly clumsy, before remembering the task at hand, and forcing himself back up again. His hand reached up for an ice pack, and a first aid kit shoved on top of his drawer. His overzealous guardians, Sayoko and Jeremiah, always insisted on having such precautionary measures in every room. Lelouch had never been so grateful for these measures since the 'incident' had occurred so many years ago.

Behind him, on the bed, lay Suzaku Kururugi, his tousled curls and sweating face making him look more vulnerable by the second. Seeing the biker this way, made the pit of Lelouch's stomach twist uncomfortably because this just seemed so… wrong. Suzaku was a strong, bright and just… a _happy person_ , to Lelouch. How could he look so fragile and... and _so weak looking_ in just a few hours? That dazed look on the Japanese boy's face, it just didn't belong there. The sight of Suzaku's pained face made Lelouch's heart ache in a way that he had never experienced before…

 _It hurt_ —and Lelouch was equally frustrated not knowing the reason why.

He swore out loud to himself, striding across the room in a few giant steps, letting the blankets in his hand flutter aloud like a pair of enormous wings, covering the shivering biker's body in a snug cocoon. Suzaku, curling up subconsciously against the added warmth of the new layers of bed sheets, muttered words incoherently under his breath. Lelouch's heart skipped a beat upon hearing the rushed whispers. Without being aware of it, Lelouch leaned forward, violet eyes peering intensely at the Japanese biker on the bed, as if he might burn up and disappear.

Loud hacking coughs made Lelouch jump down to his knees, hands pressed against Suzaku's forehead, instantly, checking for any heightened fevers.

Just as suddenly, the coughs died down, and Suzaku mumbled softly against Lelouch's hand. The biker (more like some overgrown dog) turned against the pillows, looking quite small and silly (adorable) against the layers of soft blankets.

"Suzaku…," Lelouch let the name hiss out of his mouth in bated wind, but in reality, his shoulders sloped downwards and he relaxed, watching the biker breathe in calmer breaths. His eyes softened, a tired smile slipping across thin lips. He shook his head, chuckling quietly to himself, kneeling against the bed and letting a stray hand brush (almost) affectionately over the Japanese biker's messy auburn locks.

To Lelouch's soft surprise, they were very soft and soothing to touch. He let his fingers comb through the caramel curls a few times more until he didn't even have to think about it to do so. As natural as telling his heart to keeping beating in his chest, his brain just _let go_.

He sighed softly, his head against the soft mattress and close to Suzaku's slumbering body.

"You're an idiot, you know that…? You promised that you wouldn't get hurt. You've had me going through more mood changes than I usually do in a month…" Lelouch said quietly to a reply of gentle snores. He waited, though he knew that Suzaku was too drunken and exhausted in a land of dreams to answer. Then he let himself smile against the mattress, listening only to the rhythm of his fingers combing through Suzaku's soft locks, a lulling and nourishing lullaby.

He let himself keep talking quietly, as if the sleeping biker could answer him back.

"…You could have told me you had a minor injury and had already patched it up… then I wouldn't have panicked so much," he continued quietly, his lecture sounding out only to the walls and corners of his bedroom. "And to think that you even had the nerve to get _drunk_ before coming…," He paused, and smiled softly again, "…before coming back. No wonder you collapsed and climbed in through the window. Mind you," he added in a more affectionate, though patronizing, tone, "when you wake up, I am not letting you off with an apology. You _owe_ me, Suzaku Kururugi, do you hear?"

Soft snores and breathing answered him. He continued to stroke Suzaku's curly locks of hair, revelling in the soothing gesture.

"…I wonder why you do that…?" Lelouch said quietly.

More quiet snores.

"Why do you hate yourself, Suzaku Kururugi?"

* * *

The pot on the stove was beginning to heat up. Steam rose from the edges of the lid, threatening to spill the contents of the metal container all over the counter and the oven. Beside it, by the rear, the rice cooker had just finished cooking. A red light on the dial told anyone who passed that the rice was ready to eat. The counter itself was a mess, powder and bits of dough all over a cutting board. Rice ball clumps were set on a large pan, soon to be steamed for hungry customers the next day.

But Ohgi was not concerned with that at the moment. No, presently, he was more occupied with worried thoughts about a certain loyal customer and friend (despite Ohgi's ties to the Black Knights) who had phoned in a hurry this evening. Lelouch Lamperouge had never called before. Ohgi had been surprised when he had picked up the phone. But the surprise had quickly washed away when Ohgi realized just how… reckless and frantic the young student had sounded. It had been alarming, considering Lelouch's usual blasé demeanour. Yes, he had known the young boy to be kind to other Japanese and respect them, but he never expected Lelouch Lamperouge to have such a… a caring side to him.

However, that wasn't the problem.

The problem was Suzaku. Why in the world had Lelouch been looking for Suzaku? From the tone of Lelouch's voice there was no doubt in Ohgi's head that he was truly worried about Kururugi. The degree of emotion that Ohgi heard was authentic; there was no way that Lelouch could've dramatized the phone call. So that left two more questions: How was Lelouch connected to Suzaku, and what kind of relationship did they have?

More importantly… how much did Lelouch know about Suzaku and the Black Knights?

Ohgi frowned to himself uneasily, leaning against the kitchen wall. Conflicted between his fondness over Lelouch and Zero's orders to terminate any suspicious Britannians who even received an inkling of information about eh Black Knights, Ohgi wondered what course of action he should set out to do. Lelouch was a very kind student (despite how much the boy tried to hide it) and Ohgi didn't believe in involving civilians in a political conflict, no matter what the reason. At the same time, he couldn't afford to let any leaking of their plans get to the authorities. If Suzaku was careless around Lelouch and let something slip then it'd be all over. There was also Suzaku himself to consider. Ohgi had not seen Suzaku so… enthralled and truly happy in a long time.

Did he want to ruin that?

Then, Ohgi flushed, he remembered the lingering of the phone call. How Lelouch had yelped and Ohgi had asked him what was wrong. There had been no answer… and then Ohgi had heard Suzaku speaking.

_("…Suzaku?" Ohgi had heard Lelouch say after the boy had yelped. "Wait. What are you doing here? I locked the door, you…"_

_There was a pause and then Ohgi head Lelouch say, "You didn't come in to my bedroom through the_ window _, did you?"_

_Needless to say that Ohgi had hung up, blushing productively from all the implications, as soon as he heard Suzaku answer with a slurred "yes.")_

It was obvious that the two had some kind of romantic relationship of some kind, an issue that Ohgi would definitely talk to Suzaku about much later in private.

Something about the birds and the bees, safe intercourse, the whole shebang, Ohgi blushed, seeing as Suzaku had no other parental figures to tell him of such things.

He didn't want Zero to know about Lelouch Lamperouge, and he was sure that Suzaku didn't either. The boy didn't deserve to be caught up in a rebellion. It wasn't right. They would have to protect their own identities and Lelouch at the same time. Lelouch wasn't a tool to be used; he had become Ohgi's friend, someone who had introduced him to the love of his life, Viletta. So at the very least, Ohgi would keep quiet and watch out for them both.

He just hoped that Zero wouldn't find out.

There was no telling how Zero would act once he learned about Lelouch.

* * *

"No… Don't do it… _leave him alone!_ "

The harsh moan from beneath the covers startled Lelouch out of his meditative state, making him turn his attention to the thrashing biker in front of him. Scratch Suzaku's state earlier when he had climbed through Lelouch's bedroom window, this was ten times worse, and Lelouch had no idea what was going on.

"Stop it… _Stop shooting him or I'll kill you!_ " Suzaku yelled out, lifting his neck, eyes scrunched up shut, adrift in a nightmarish world that he was dreaming to life.

Instantly, Lelouch let his hands slide to the sides of Suzaku's face and then to Suzaku's arms. It took some difficulty, seeing as the Japanese biker was being extremely uncooperative in his deep slumber, thrashing against the heavy protection of the warm blankets and unseen monsters, but Lelouch's fingers managed to find Suzaku's. In a few seconds, Lelouch had his hands intertwined over Suzaku's, rubbing a thumb back and forth against the palm of Suzaku's hand to calm him and to chase away whatever monsters lurked in his sleep.

Immediately, Suzaku's movements became less rash. But still, he seemed to shrink back against the fluffy mountain of pillows, like a mere child, and mumbling into the air, making Lelouch's heart flutter in anxious pain.

"…No…," Suzaku whispered so quietly that Lelouch had thought he might've imagined it, "please… _please don't_ …"

"Stop," He tightened his grip around Suzaku's palm, even though it was impossible for Suzaku to respond to him now. "Stop it, Suzaku. It's over. You're alright now. You're here. _It's going to be ok,_ " He said as sternly as he possibly could, before he felt his throat go dry and then he had to swallow before speaking to Suzaku again, continuing, "So don't… don't _beg_ from them. It's going to be alright."

His grip, though growing sweaty, tightened even more against the feel of Suzaku's palm.

Seeing Suzaku like this, was killing him.

At last, Suzaku was still. The sleep talking had subsided for now, but Lelouch kept himself wary and awake lest it return once more. The ex-prince stayed kneeling by the bed, holding on to his houseguest's hand, and watching said-houseguest return to peaceful and steady slumber once more.

It was slightly ironic, an exiled prince doing such a thing for a commoner.

Then again, Lelouch had stopped caring about such things and royal statuses since the incident. He was also used to doing this, more times than ever necessary in a young teenager's life. Providing comfort and health care, holding someone's hand when they were ill in bed and never letting go… they were the sort of things Lelouch always used to do for his mother, when she was alive in Britannia, and his sister, whenever she had a relapse of serious flu or surgery.

Maybe that was why it came so naturally to him. He had performed the same routine by himself for his beloved family members (refusing other's help) countless times.

But he'd never done this for anyone else before.

Before he could think further about it, the sound of rustling sheets alerted Lelouch to a certain Japanese biker's warm eyes staring into his for the past half-hour.

"…You're awake," Lelouch said simply, feeling quite self-conscious, now that he had a fully aware audience watching him.

Suzaku beamed at him, making Lelouch want to avert his eyes. But he didn't. After a few seconds, Suzaku (still exhausted) mumbled, "… Feeling much better thanks to you."

An eye roll and a scoff answered him back, "You weren't even ill, Suzaku. You went out for too many drinks at the bar after your little 'appointment' and then passed out in my bedroom on top of me. I hardly lifted a finger to help you."

Lelouch released his hold on Suzaku's palm, but found that Suzaku's hands refused to let him go. He looked up inquiringly at him.

"No," Suzaku protested vehemently, pulling Lelouch's hands closer to him, "you helped me a lot. Things didn't go so well today at the 'appointment' and I… I was irresponsible and decided drink away my troubles after talking to my boss… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause you…," Suzaku trailed off, his eyes glazing over into a far-off and bitter look.

It startled Lelouch, how much Suzaku could transform from the happy Suzaku he knew and greeted every day, to this bitter stranger, one who he only saw rare glimpses of…

The one he was staring at presently.

He stood up, though it was hard to, seeing as Suzaku's grip on his hand was now the one that refused to loosen, ready to go to the living room and claim the couch.

"Where are you going?" Suzaku asked, slightly alarmed.

"Downstairs to sleep. You're going to have a bad hangover in the morning, and I have to change your bandages then as well. We both need our rest. I think you could use the bed tonight, Suzaku," Lelouch said aloofly.

"No, stay with me tonight. I don't… I don't want to be…"

 _I don't want to be alone—at least not tonight_.

Suzaku didn't need to speak any further. Lelouch understood exactly what Suzaku was trying to tell him.

It didn't take long. He slipped into his night clothes (after convincing Suzaku that he wasn't going to go anywhere and the biker reluctantly let go of his hand) and then crawled under the heavy layers of covers beside the biker, whose eyes were being lulled back to sweet slumber.

As usual, Suzaku's arms tried to snake their way around Lelouch's waist. He frowned, but this time (and only this time, because Suzaku was being so delirious) allowed it, letting the biker breathe in the scent of Lelouch's shampoo. The whiff of alcohol, still apparent in the smell of Suzaku's breath, made Lelouch wrinkle his nose and he shifted a little bit away from the biker, in quiet contemplation.

The blankets rustled again, and Lelouch felt something wet against his cheek, like water. Suspiciously and with worry, he craned his head to look over at Suzaku, but the biker had turned his face at such an angle that Lelouch couldn't the expression on his face.

He scowled. If ever he wanted to know what that moronic biker was thinking, after all that had happened today, it was now.

"…Suzaku?"

It was quiet. The shuffling noises he heard stopped. Suzaku didn't answer back. Maybe he was already asleep again.

Despite himself, Lelouch didn't know what to feel. Today he had been thrown into an encounter with a crazy stalker and just barely managed to get away. Then Suzaku had come through the window, collapsed on top of him, muttering about _blood_ , thus making Lelouch talk of hospitals and learning of Suzaku's avoidance of them. After yelling at Suzaku to get on the bed and let Lelouch take care of him, he had discovered that Suzaku's wound was already treated and that Suzaku was just _drunk_ , not seriously hurt.

Of course, there was also Suzaku's nightmare.

Honestly… there was so much that Lelouch didn't know about Suzaku. Was his gang life that dangerous? Did his status as an 'Eleven' in Area 11 affect things at all? Was his life in peril today? Why the hell didn't Suzaku call or anything? Didn't he realize that Lelouch would—not worry—but... but be... be what?

"Lelouch…?" Suzaku said softly, his chin resting on Lelouch's head.

Lelouch's thoughts went into a standstill. It didn't take long for the ex-prince to compose himself and answer, "What is it?"

"…I'm glad you're here," replied the biker very softly.

He blinked against Suzaku's chest, wondering why the biker had said such a thing or why such warmth surged inside of him upon hearing them. Was it related to the 'appointment' which Lelouch strongly suspected was a dangerous brawl of some kind that Suzaku must have lost (why else would he have gotten himself dead drunk?).

Quietly, Lelouch shook his head, only to look up at the dormant ceiling lights above him. He thought about the panic that he had experienced today, all of his trials and his past. He thought of what could've been horrific enough to make Suzaku scream in his sleep, and revert back to total vulnerability in front of him. He wondered how many ghosts Suzaku carried with him, and if they were as haunting as Lelouch's ghosts. He wondered how Suzaku could seem so cheerful around Lelouch, when in reality; this man was a hardened Japanese biker fighting an enemy too vast to be overpowered by one man alone, armed with weapons that were as old as resentment itself…

He buried his head against Suzaku's chest, not caring anymore about personal appearance. He had shown Suzaku a lot more of his indignant side than was necessary, adding one more to the list would do him no harm. Then Lelouch allowed his body to surrender to the creeping sleep coming upon him, and whispered back.

"…I'm glad you're ok, Suzaku."

And that was the entire truth of it all.

It was perfectly acceptable to just lay like this with him. Lelouch could get mad at the idiot tomorrow. For now, he could just let this moment be.

Beside him, he did not see the brightened, and yet bittersweet, smile on the biker's face, against tear filled eyes.

* * *

_The club was bristling with vagrants and juveniles of all kinds, sultry looking women and gamblers as well. Bulky, built-up gangsters flocked around the pool tables, jeering over the latest victories and losses while downing a couple of beers or two. Their canine and feral grins flashed in the damp lighting, reflected by the oak trimmed walls and heavy shadows by the counter. Several groups of ladies huddled around rich-looking Britannians, who wasted no time flaunting their noble status and riches. High pitched giggles automatically erupted every couple of minutes at every word he said, even if it wasn't particularly amusing. They were attracted to power._

_By the bar however, sat the untouchables. The lone figures that seemed permanently stationed by on their stools, lost in the wry colours of the glass came to this place to forget all self. The broken hearted, the jobless, the homeless, the bankrupt, the poor, the addicts and more—they all sought solace within the simple action of drinking the subtle substance to their hearts content. Among reality, they were the lowest of the low, the desperate seeking happiness from an illusion which brought no results—yet among indulgence, they were happily drowning in their fantasies, their plights and their sorrows._

_This was exactly what Suzaku Kururugi came here to do—drown in alcohol._

_Surreal, as if he were walking in a bad dream, Suzaku stormed through the doors of the club, his temper giving off showers of flaring fury and then took a place by the scarcely populated bar stools. The barkeeper, a faceless (to Suzaku) Japanese man stared him up and down before sighing from what was most likely pity. Suzaku didn't have a chance to seethe at the barkeeper to give him a drink. Instantly, the barkeeper slid Suzaku a large bottle of (now banned and very rare) Japanese sake._

_When Suzaku raised an eyebrow at him, demanding where the barkeeper had gotten such a rare Japanese treasure, the barkeeper merely shrugged and muttered something about Suzaku looking like he needed it._

_Hell knew that he did._

_The memories flooded back to him. How Zero had the audacity to clap Suzaku on the shoulder and then tell him that it was actually ok that he and Kallen had not managed to achieve their mission goal! He had not been angry, or upset—merely disappointed. He told Suzaku to get some rest, to prepare for the Lancelot mission and then just… left! Zero had just left without punishing Suzaku or Kallen for their failures and somehow—that disappointment and casual brush-off of what was supposed to be an important task—was worse than any punishment._

_Suzaku just wanted to die right there from shame. All of his life, he had failed. He failed at stopping his father from surrendering Japan to Britannia. He failed to help protect his father-figure Toudou and the other Holy Swords. He had now failed, before they had even begun Zero's rebellion, as a Black Knight._

_Would he never get revenge or exact justice? Hell, he wanted a god to smite him with a thunderbolt right about now…_

_He downed his glass of sake immediately, angry eyes dimming under the influence of alcohol and self-depreciation. He hated himself. He wanted to redeem himself, his country… otherwise… otherwise he'd never prove his father wrong, he'd never avenge Toudou, he'd never amount to anything and he would always…_

… _be a failure._

(Genbu Kururugi stood, intimidating as ever, against the windows layered with blinds in a closed off office. Before him, a burly and defiant looking boy of stood in front of him, waiting.

The piece of paper, marked with insulting swishes of black ink, stared the Japanese Prime Minister in the face, taunting him. Slowly, the boy watched with growing apprehension as a frown formed on the man's gaunt face.

He waited for the words that he knew would come, no matter what. They always did.

"Only a few Bs and average statistics to show for your efforts at school, Suzaku? How unsightly of a future leader of Japan. Leave me, and go meditate on your failures. I have no time to speak with scum."

Hurt and bitterly frustrated, the boy stormed out of the office, hoping to never set foot there again.)

_Suzaku snorted, remembering this strand of memory quite well. He downed more alcohol, hoping to wash away the memories. Despite it all, they kept coming back._

(Sharp pain across his face, a disheartening slap filled the air. The gasps and shock of his teachers did not escape him as he left the floor sting him as he fell. The boy crumpled against the dojo ground, daring not to cry. His father hated it when he cried.

And speaking of his father, Genbu Kururugi was hovering over him, holding the wooden sword that he had used to smack his son across the face with. His father's eyes were hard, unforgiving. It was like he was stone.

The jeers that came next were intended to hurt him while he was down, adding insult to injury very literally.

"I have left you alone in your lessons for only three weeks, and this is the progress that you have made? I am ashamed to call this failure my son. I demand to see some improvements in your training by the next week, or there will be consequences, boy."

The boy stood against the ground, though his eyes were sparking with rage, he did not dare to get up.)

 _Failure, huh? The name suited him. He wondered if someone would engrave it on his tombstone when he went and jumped off a cliff… How could he fail so easily? He was Zero's best… he had dedicated his_ life _to this cause and yet—_

" _That's right. You're a failure."_

_Suzaku turned around. To his surprise, the club had disappeared, and he was floating above a deep dark ocean. Before him, stood Zero, who was facing him impassively, a mocking voice as he spoke to Suzaku. He was a dark figure against the reddened sky, which stretched out into forever, and seemed blotted out from the inexistent sun._

_The very memory he had walked into... had changed into a twisted reality._

_Eyes wide, Suzaku backed away, the words from his precious leader a very painful blow to his very being, "… No… No…"_

" _What's wrong, Suzaku? Didn't you want to hear me say it? I know you did. You're a glutton for punishment whenever you fail. I don't see why you're being such a hypocrite," Zero said, his mocking voice was poison to Suzaku's ears, like scorpions piercing their venom into his senses._

" _It's no use lecturing him. The boy will merely diminish any chances he has of improving at anything. He fails at everything you try to teach him. It won't change now," another voice joined in the ridicule, a very familiar face._

_He stumbled backwards, radiating hatred and loathing towards the newcomer, "Father."_

_Genbu wrinkled his nose at him, "If it isn't my son… the boy who tried to kill me with a knife before his teacher interfered."_

_Anger surged through him once more, "I should've succeeded in killing you! Maybe then Japan would still be an independent nation! Maybe then we'd still be fighting for our freedom, but on fairer terms internationally! Your death would probably have been for the best!"_

_Instead of looking insulted, his father actually had the audacity to look darkly amused, "And yet you failed at that task as well."_

_Suzaku had no words to rebuttal that statement, feeling the words weigh him down, making him feel heavier, sinking closer to the dark ocean…_

" _Yes, I agree…," another man appeared to make the oppressing duo into a group of three, surrounding Suzaku from all sides, "you even failed to save your precious mentor. I thought that I meant more to you than that, Suzaku."_

" _Toudou… No… I tried, I really did, but they—"_

" _Of course you tried," Zero lashed out at him, "But in the end, you failed!"_

" _That's all you've even done," Genbu snarled, from Suzaku's right, the words making Suzaku fall down another foot._

" _All you've ever accomplished," Toudou added from behind._

_Suzaku dangled in the air, so dangerously close to the ocean, his heart screaming and bleeding from the attacks against him. The three of his oppressors circled around him, their cruel laughter hanging in the air, like knifes in his back, in his heart, in his eyes, in his very fingers… He was screaming and no one could hear, he was trying to deny it all, that very word he detested all of his life, how he let everyone down and now—_

" _Stop it."_

_Looking up warily, his mouth dropped. Suzaku felt as if the whole world had just ended, as he saw the pale Britannian student standing between him and his three oppressors. A sudden plea built up in his heart, begging for this outcome to erase itself entirely._

" _No… Lelouch, what are you doing here?" Suzaku yelled at him, "Get away! You'll get hurt, you'll be thrown into the sea to drown just like me, you'll—"_

You'll be tainted, if you associate with me.

_The strong burning violet gaze did not leave him, as Lelouch reached out to him, hand outstretched in a steady glower, "Stop this. Stop listening to them. Stop lowering your standards to match theirs."_

_What was this? Didn't Lelouch know what danger he was in? If Zero, Toudou or his father got to the boy then all would be lost… He'd lose Lelouch and he wouldn't be able to bare it if Lelouch got hurt because he had gotten involved in his past._

" _You don't know anything! Just leave me alone! I'm fine, alone!"_

" _Hypocrite," Lelouch used the same word choice as Zero, "isn't that what_ I _told_ you _? You seemed so intent on being a part of my life, that you don't even see that it works both ways. I already am involved in this—more than you know."_

_The biker, dangling in the air just inches above the ocean, could barely suppress a gasp as Lelouch's fingers curled up around his, and the Britannian stood defiantly between him and the others, a smirk across his face._

" _You insolent boy, we will destroy you!" Someone—Was it Zero? Was it his father or Genbu?—proclaimed aggressively towards the unfazed and indifferent Lelouch, who kept his position beside Suzaku._

" _Lelouch!" Suzaku cried out, trying desperately to get the pale Britannian to turn towards him and realize what danger he was in, Suzaku's heart beating erratically in his chest, "Lelouch, move, they'll kill you!"_

_But Lelouch didn't move, and it only escalated Suzaku's panic. Why wasn't Lelouch moving? Why didn't Lelouch abandon him and run away? Why didn't Lelouch leave him alone? If Lelouch got hurt because him, he would never forgive himself, never recover because—_

" _Suzaku," Lelouch looked at him, his eyes so calm and glittering with an emotion that made Suzaku's chest swoon in overflowing emotion, "you are not a failure."_

_What kind of nonsense was Lelouch spouting out now—in the middle of a life threatening situation?_

" _What are you talking about? You can't possibly know that!" Suzaku shouted at him, angry that Lelouch was still standing there with him, angry at his uselessness, "I'll probably fail you too, Lelouch! You should just leave me while you still can!"_

_But this Lelouch was still passive, he smiled at Suzaku and it was infuriating him (Run, Lelouch! Suzaku's senses screamed). There were shadows behind Lelouch. Zero, Genbu and Toudou stepped closer, each holding a gun, raising them towards Lelouch and Suzaku. Now, more than ever, Suzaku's senses screamed at Lelouch to leave, run, go, before it was too late!_

" _There's one thing that you won't fail at, Suzaku," Lelouch continued on placidly, as the guns were raised, and the triggers were being pulled._

_Suzaku's eyes widened, as the shots rang out, and then a pale body moved in front of him. He screamed as he envisioned that pale body leaked out with blood, running down his chest like ribbons._

_The boy smiled up at him, blood trickling down his pinked lips, falling into the ocean, "You won't fail in protecting me."_

_The Japanese biker watched in horror as the boy was engulfed by the black ocean, swallowed whole, pale white enveloped by the black of the overstretching sea. And then Suzaku let out a bloodcurdling scream, which would shake the planets in the entire galaxy._

" _ **LELOUCH!**_ _"_

* * *

He woke up immediately, buried in a mound of blankets, and sweating beyond control from the rush of adrenaline and fear which circulated around his body. His heart was a beating African drum, continuing its accelerating thumping mercilessly, while his palms shook like quivering chords of a struck harp. For several minutes, he couldn't breath—or he wasn't aware that he _was_ breathing, rather heavily. His mind raced, half-filled with reality and half-filled with the dream.

This was the last time Suzaku would get himself drunk. Obviously it gave the dreamless biker horrifying nightmares that he'd rather not deal with. Reaching for the sleeping Lelouch's hand to comfort himself with the Britannian student's presence, Suzaku's fingers met with unoccupied space and abandoned blankets.

Lelouch was gone.

Pain flooded Suzaku's body at the thought of Lelouch missing, especially after that nightmare. The biker checked the floor, in case he had accidentally kicked Lelouch out of the bed again. The floor was spotless, not a hint of Lelouch was there. Some dried bloodstains, from Suzaku's jacket, still marked the wooden floors. But other than that, there was no evidence that Lelouch was there.

Unable to control himself, thoughts of panic seized him. What if Lelouch had really gotten attacked or he was hurt? What if last night (Suzaku didn't really remember much at the moment, but he was sure the details would return to him soon enough) had just been a fleeting dream and Lelouch hadn't been home at all but had actually been kidnapped by a crazy stalker? (Suzaku had _no idea_ how close that scenario was to what Lelouch had gone through yesterday…)

Scrambling to his feet, Suzaku felt his sock-clad feet slip slightly on the floor before he dashed at full strength out of the bedroom and toppled down the stairs, eyes wide as he heaved out, "Sayoko-san, Lelouch is missing! I can't find him and…," Suzaku trailed off, realizing what an embarrassment he had made of himself as Lelouch and Sayoko stood casually in front of the kitchen stove, looking at him bewildered.

C.C., for her part, snorted into her morning slice of pizza (with pineapple and green pepper—a nice combination for breakfast and a break from all the pepperoni) and merely waved lazily at the biker with a smirk. Beside her, Nunnally was waiting patiently for breakfast, busy doing a puzzle by feeling the puzzle shapes and pieces. Jeremiah was still snoring upstairs in his room, as he had gotten a day off from work.

The smell of sizzling eggs met Suzaku's nose, and then he found that he was actually very hungry (and still embarrassed) indeed.

Hovering over a pan of what looked like pancakes; Lelouch glanced up at Suzaku curiously, and slight bemusement, "Congratulations Suzaku, looks like you've found me. We can now lower the alarm and enjoy some well deserved breakfast."

Colour flooded Suzaku's face, as he scowled at him, "Don't say that. I was really worried about you. I thought that you were hurt or…"

Lelouch's expression towards Suzaku softened; it did not go unnoticed by a very perceptive Sayoko and smirking C.C.

"Aw… did Kururugi have a nightmare? Was Zuzu scared that he lost his little Lulu?" C.C. taunted him in a monotonous voice.

Suzaku felt himself pale visibly, and he couldn't bare to look at Lelouch, wanting to disappear at this very moment.

Nunnally turned up her head, "Oh my! Did you really have a bad dream, Suzaku-san?"

"Oh shut up, C.C.," Suzaku scowled at her, and to Nunnally he muttered, "I slept fine, Nunnally, thank you."

"Maybe it wasn't a nightmare…," C.C.'s eyes flashed mischievously, "but some kind of erotic wet dream involving—"

Something whizzed past Suzaku's neck, narrowly missing skin by a few micrometers. Even Suzaku hadn't noticed the very stealthy and sudden attack, and his eyes widened when he saw that the 'something' was actually a kitchen knife stuck in the wall.

Concerned, Nunnally asked, "What was that?"

Suzaku turned his gaze towards an innocent (and victorious-looking) Sayoko-san who said happily, "Oops. My hand must've slipped."

"Slipped? You think that I'd believe that a fully trained ninja such as yourself, sensei, is capable of _accidentally_ —"

"Oh hush, _Zuzu_ ," Sayoko happily adopted the infernal nickname that C.C. had made up with ease, flipping her diced tomatoes into the omelette she was making, "It's all in good fun."

"Good fun? Just look at your wall—"

"Stop being so cranky this morning, Suzaku," Lelouch intervened smoothly, "That's my department, not yours. Now _sit down_ already and wait for us to finish making breakfast. You're being immature."

To that statement, Suzaku almost pouted, but then C.C.'s comment of "You'd think he'd be used to having weapons thrown at him by now… living in this house" made him want to turn around and strangle the infuriating woman. However, Lelouch's reproachful gaze made Suzaku think twice about the would-be-satisfying action, and he took a seat by the table.

As Suzaku tried to adjust his paranoid self to a calmer state (still wary from his nightmare), he slowly became aware that this was the first time he had ever sat down to eat with the entire Lamperouge household. Normally Suzaku rushed out of the house as soon as he awoke and changed into his normal attire, took off on his motorcycle and went to the tea shop to eat. When he got home from Black Knights meetings it would normally be quite late. He was used to eating with his fellow Black Knights, or alone.

That realization brought forth a self-conscious apprehension of himself, like a boyfriend about to meet his girlfriend's parents for the first time.

All of the times that he had made a bad impression in front of Sayoko and Jeremiah suddenly came rushing forth at him. He frowned, wondering why he was feeling so concerned about their opinions. It wasn't as if he was always welcome in this house anyways, save from the Lamperouge siblings themselves. Why should he feel so bothered if Sayoko and Jeremiah were less than approving of his presence?

"Oh, Suzaku-san," Nunnally bubbled, once she heard him push in his chair opposite her for a seat, "I'm so glad that you're finally going to join us for a meal. You'll love Onii-sama's cooking and Sayoko-san's as well! Jeremiah-kun always gives me the last pancake, even though he savours them. It's a shame that C.C. isn't fond of nothing else but pizza…"

C.C. smiled at the blind girl gently (which surprised Suzaku, as he never thought of that witch as anything but gentle) and said, "If you grew up eating pizza, you'd be hooked on it too. But I'm sure that Lelouch's meals are delicious if you say so."

"Of course they are! When I become a world famous singer, Onii-sama will not only be my manservant, but my personal chef!" Nunnally cackled very cutely, pressing a blue and white puzzle piece against her lips in coy playfulness.

"Whatever you say, Ms. Lamperouge," C.C. responded back.

Watching this exchange, and the familiarity that C.C. had with Nunnally and the rest of the Lamperouge household, Suzaku somehow felt a bit… strange. He always felt strange whenever he observed the casual interactions that C.C. managed to pull off with the various members of the Lamperouge household. Usually, Suzaku thought it to be suspicion, for he never did and never would trust any of the witch's intentions for staying here with Lelouch. He was also habitually paranoid, so it wouldn't have surprised him.

No… this feeling was something else. It was ugly and it twisted at his stomach whenever anyone smiled at C.C., and then turned to _him_ and scowled.

"Step aside, Kururugi. Breakfast is served," Sayoko said to him tightly, pretending that he wasn't there as she swooped over him and placed a plate of tomato and red pepper omelettes in the center of the table setting, and a bowl of steaming hot white rice.

Making sure to sneer back at Sayoko, Suzaku turned his attention to the rice, taken back, "You serve rice, in a Britannian household?"

"Well, why wouldn't we? Eggs taste great with rice," Nunnally chirped, putting her half-finished puzzle to the side for later. "Plus, Sayoko-san said that rice is part of the Japanese diet."

"But this is an Area," Suzaku replied back vehemently.

"Does it make a difference, what I cook?" Sayoko asked him coolly.

Suzaku retorted in an equally icy gaze, "Is it a crime to be so curious in the choice of cuisine?"

"Did you know that curiosity killed the cat?"

"They did say satisfaction brought it back."

Sparks were literally flying—but C.C. and Nunnally merely ignored it, engrossed in conversation.

"Oh shut up, both of you," Lelouch stepped between them, holding a tray of fresh blueberry pancakes and a jug of maple syrup.

(C.C., meanwhile, had finished her third slice of pizza, going for a third. It was amazing that she hadn't gained a single pound in weight.)

He glared at Suzaku and Sayoko with sharp conviction, and proceeded to place the heavy tray and jug next to the other dishes on the table, "Can you really blame us for cooking _rice_ , Suzaku? Honestly, you eat it every day at Ohgi's tea shop, why does it make a difference here? Don't you think it's logical, if Sayoko-san has been my caretaker for over eight years, that being Japanese, she would raise us with Japanese dishes? Despite our Britannian heritage, we _do_ know how to appreciate other culture's cuisines, thank you very much."

Under Lelouch's disapproving eyes, Suzaku felt himself deflate a little.

"Besides," Lelouch changed his tone into a lighter one, "I _like_ rice."

The Britannian boy (who, Suzaku noticed, was wearing a very silly looking Cheese-kun apron) gave Suzaku a conspiring smirk, to which Suzaku only had to shake his head, unable to get rid of the willing grin from his face.

"What's this? Are you starting without me? Gah!" Jeremiah bellowed from the top of the stairs, having just woken up and now racing down towards the heavenly smell from the kitchen.

"Hurry up, Jeremiah-san, or all the eggs will be gone!"

That was how Suzaku's first meal with the Lamperouge Household turned out.

It hadn't been a strenuous affair as he had thought it would be. In fact, Suzaku found that he was enjoying eating breakfast together with them, rather than dreading it. Sayoko-san and Jeremiah-kun didn't fail at their endeavours to bother him, and yet Suzaku enjoyed the challenges they presented to him. He realized that he was grinning more often than he normally let himself, either at their zealous antics or Nunnally's adorable little jokes addressed towards them. Even C.C. didn't serve as much of a bother, for she seemed to be entertained by just watching the family affair play itself out, an amused glint in those golden depths every once and a while, and a monotonous comment to go with it.

The food was heavenly. Suzaku had always shunned foreign food, being a rather prideful eater. Not wanting to be rude or chided for his lack of taste again, Suzaku had decided to try some of Lelouch's pancakes. He loved them. They were nice and sweet, yet not too sweet, with the juicy flavour of blueberries in between each bite. Sayoko-san and Jeremiah-kun made a point of trying to steal every pancake that Suzaku eyed, and it soon turned into a small fork war between the three of them, with C.C. commentating every few minutes. Off to the side, Lelouch and Nunnally teased each other softly. Every once and a while Nunnally flicked some of her syrup at Lelouch's face, making him blanch. The expression on his face made Suzaku want to laugh. Then Lelouch would give him a pointed glare.

This meal should've been odd to Suzaku—a mixture of Britannian and Japanese tastes and the availability of chopsticks and forks at once. And it was, at first. But slowly and surely, with the light atmosphere that this house seemed to have on him, Suzaku found himself settling down quite comfortably, as if he had always lived there.

Across from him, Lelouch swallowed the remains of the food on his plate (Suzaku noticed that he favoured fruit and a small portion of rice and eggs rather than anything sugary like pancakes), and got up to put away the dishes.

"Let me help you with that, Lelouch-sama," Jeremiah stepped out of his seat and held the pile of plates in Lelouch's stead.

"Thank you, Jeremiah-kun."

Sayoko-san got up as well, settling into Sunday morning routine easily. C.C. got up and escorted Nunnally to the sitting room, chatting about Nunnally's puzzle pieces and her latest origami creation. Feeling a bit useless, Suzaku sat uncomfortably in his chair before he also sat up and prepared to leave for the next Black Knights meeting with feelings of utmost dread.

He mentally berated himself. It wouldn't do to get so comfortable and attached to this homely atmosphere. He still had his duty to Zero.

"I guess I better get going then," Suzaku said, more to himself than to anyone else.

Lelouch looked up at him, eyeing him with what looked like suspicion, "Going where?"

Suzaku was confused. "To the tea shop. I have to meet up with everyone else today—"

"No, you're not. You're staying here today. Tell your boss, or whatever you call him, that you need to take a day to _rest_ ," the Britannian boy brushed him off sternly, picking up more empty plates and utensils from the table.

"Rest? But I can't just—" Suzaku shook his head and frowned, voice steadily rising, "Why?"

Hard violet eyes held him in place.

"Because you need it."

Anger filled him—perhaps from the dream he had just had, perhaps from the audacity this Britannian had for telling him what to do, perhaps because the very notion of 'staying home' as if it were an option was so ridiculous—and Suzaku growled, "What are you talking about? I'm not staying here today, I have another important appointment tomorrow and I have to discuss it with the others today!"

Unmoved, the other boy responded bluntly, "So?"

Suzaku wanted to shout at him. Lelouch just didn't understand what the Black Knights meant to him. " _So_ ," Suzaku felt his teeth ground out, "I need to get going."

"Hm," Lelouch hummed quaintly, as if Suzaku hadn't said a thing, "and you're going to do that while your body is still weak and shaking?"

In confusion, Suzaku looked down at his hands to discover in dismay that they were trembling slightly, still wary from the disappointing battle the other day. His lips pressed together tightly in a grimace and Suzaku fought to keep his temper under control. The last thing he wanted to do was scare off Lelouch with an unnecessary loss of self-restraint.

Smug, Lelouch smirked victoriously, "See? You're in no condition to go out today. Just give your boss a call. You work too much. He should give you a break—gangster or not."

He did not bother to hide his fuming. As if Zero would give him a break; the very idea was ludicrous.

A hand settled on Suzaku's shoulder, making him look up in surprise at Lelouch's steady gaze.

"Pouting doesn't become you," said Lelouch, "and if you need a better reason for staying home to rest, how about because _I_ asked you too?"

It shouldn't have been very surprising to Suzaku when he found himself complying with Lelouch's stubborn request.

* * *

The rest of the day seemed to have gone by rather smoothly—or rather, as smoothly as it could go under the Lamperouge roof—for Suzaku.

He had excused himself to make a call on his personal cell phone to Zero about his absence. The leader of the Black Knights had not been very pleased, but admitted that perhaps rest took more of a priority for his ace. Zero wanted Suzaku and Kallen to be at top condition for the Lancelot mission the next day. He complimented Suzaku for the idea and told him that he would be letting Kallen have the day off as well.

The phone call had made him feel somewhat guilty and Suzaku still felt diminutive when addressing the Black Knights leader again. So the biker did what he was best at, when forced to confront his emotions, he hid them deep within and pretended that they weren't there. It helped—sometimes.

For the remainder of the day, he drifted in and out of his self-loathing. Lelouch had some kind of shift at the Pizza House place, but came home early in the evening. The other occupants of the house were preoccupied with their own jobs, leaving just himself, C.C. and Nunnally. The two girls spent their Sunday in the living room, chatting and curling each other's hair. They hadn't paid Suzaku much mind, which was what he preferred at the moment.

When Lelouch came home, shortly after Sayoko and Jeremiah, he had taken one look at Suzaku, frowned and then shook his head.

Suzaku couldn't help but feel even more entrenched in self-loathing after that.

Currently, he was brooding in the living room, watching Jeremiah flip through the channels with ease. Jeremiah had nodded at Suzaku before sitting down and then transfixing his attention to the television in front of him. The man wasn't that intolerable once he wasn't targeting you because of paranoia and an urge to protect his charge which Suzaku could empathize with.

"Suzaku-san, Jeremiah-kun, do you want to hear Onii-sama play the piano?" Nunnally asked them. C.C. was pushing her wheelchair, watching them with indifference.

A few seconds passed before his brain made the connection and Suzaku's face lit up, "Really? He's actually going to play for us?"

Even Jeremiah looked mildly interested, "Is that right? Are you practising for choir, Nunnally-sama?"

It was an uncommon occurrence for the rest of the household to hear the young Britannian play, unless it was for Nunnally's practises. Other than that, they never heard the piano in leisure. It was assumed that the ex-prince was talented in playing the instrument but merely expressed no passion for it.

"Oh, no. Onii-sama has the door open and he's playing madly, as if his fingers are aflame. It sounds gorgeous. We should listen while we can," Nunnally said with a smile.

Without another word, the four of them crept upstairs and down the hall, following the haunting melody of a complicated baroque sonata. It sounded similar to Bach's complicated organ compositions, dark hymns played in churches which evoked the strongest emotions in their complexities. Organs had a way of surrounding the audiences in its music, the sounds resounding in the pipes like a tidal wave, tsunamis of pure sound wrapping the inner core of any human body. But on the piano, these compositions did not have the same magnitude and power of sound. Instead, they seemed to be more sympathetic, smooth…

Suzaku could already imagine the expression on Lelouch's face as his thin fingers graced across the keyboard. It made the Japanese biker shiver on the inside, remembering hazily, how Lelouch's fingers graced over his skin the night earlier.

They were gathered around the entrance to the music room. The door was slightly ajar, so that only the slightest push would create a quiet creaking sound which no one would notice. They were too enraptured by Lelouch's dedicated performance, watching the boy seated before the grand piano, an expression of pure ecstasy on his face.

"Wow…," Jeremiah released the compliment from under his breath in surprise, "I had no idea that Lelouch-sama could play at this level of expertise… It's amazing…"

The word 'wow' was not sufficient enough to describe how beautiful Lelouch's piano playing was. Suzaku found that he was entranced by the expressions on Lelouch's face as he played; eyes closed and relaxed, a smooth smile of pure pleasure on his face that Suzaku always wanted to see on him…

The Black Knight was too absorbed in his staring to try and hide it, much to the hidden amusement of a leering witch.

She smirked, knowing that Suzaku was off on another planet and would likely take no heed of them now, "Why don't we go and leave them alone for a while, Nunnally?"

Nunnally, all too aware of the growing attraction between the two boys, was only happy to comply, "Jeremiah-kun, do you want to come play cards with C.C. and me? Let's go find Sayoko-san as well… C.C. taught me this great new game…"

Their voices trailed off, until it was just Suzaku lurking in the door way, and Lelouch playing on the piano.

Just the two of them.

A flurry of finishing triads and notes later, with a flourish of pale hands, Lelouch's voice jolted Suzaku out of his spellbound trance.

"Are you just going to stand there and gawk all day, or are you going to sit down on the bench?"

"Huh?" Suzaku looked up dumbly, like a young calf that had just remembered how to walk again, and stared at Lelouch's pointed expression with little understanding.

The upturned smirk across Lelouch's face made more sense once Suzaku realized that the boy had scooted over on the black piano bench, so that there was room for both of them to sit upon it.

Hesitantly (and trying to hide his pleasure at the opportunity to spend more time with the boy), Suzaku asked, "Are you… sure?"

He was answered by a scowl, "Would I be asking you otherwise?"

Right. Lelouch was the type who seemed sure about what he wanted and when, Suzaku smiled sheepishly at the thought.

Sitting next to Lelouch, maybe a little bit closer than necessary (not because of any thing in particular, he was just excited… and he was still weary from the dream…), Suzaku looked fondly at the keyboard.

"What were you playing?"

"Hm… just this and that…," Lelouch threw his arms up dismissively at the question. "Why were you just standing there?"

Suzaku grinned wryly, "Too caught up in the music to move."

Lelouch snorted, "Right."

"What? I was serious. I love hearing you play!"

"Sure." But Suzaku could tell that Lelouch was hiding the fact that he was pleased with the compliment.

"I wish I could play," Suzaku wistfully. "You're so lucky. I spent my childhood learning karate and…"

He stopped, voice trailing off darkly.

Lelouch's eyes were boring into him. The boy obviously wanted to ask him something and was struggling about how he would ask it.

Finally, he said carefully, "Suzaku… last night, what were you dreaming about…?"

Instantly, Suzaku felt his mind freeze, while at the same time, different sections of his brain were blaring out several different excuses and scenarios at once. Lie. Tell him it was a childhood nightmare. Tell him that it was nothing. Tell him that it was a result of the alcohol. Tell him anything. Anything but the truth.

"… It was just… just nothing."

Eyes narrowed at him harshly.

" _Suzaku Kururugi_ ," Suzaku winced at the cold use of his name, "yesterday I had to deal with your drunken injured self, your nightmares and a hell of a night just _worrying_ about you, so you _better tell me the truth_."

"It's nothing!" Suzaku snapped at him, swinging his fist so that it smashed into the piano keys, creating such an awful sound that only matched his irritation, "Why are you prying? I don't ask about your nightmares, do I?"

But Lelouch refused to flinch, "Yet you ask about my parents, my past. You want to know everything about me, and yet I know nothing about you. Just one simple question is all I—"

"It's not simple!" Suzaku shouted, seeing red.

Lelouch's form went rigid, as if surprised that Suzaku had actually shouted at him. Already, Suzaku doubted himself, regretting it. Why had he lost his temper? Why had he allowed himself to shout at Lelouch yet again? It wasn't Lelouch's fault… _it could never be Lelouch's fault_ … He was innocent… He wasn't one of _them_ , despite being Britannian… and if the dream was correct, then he needed to protect Lelouch from his past… and his present.

By now, he was out of breath, as if he had run a marathon, mind whirling in a storm of confusion and hesitation.

He did not dare to look at Lelouch in the eye… If Lelouch ever knew about his past, ever got hurt because of his past…

"… Nothing's ever simple," the soft reply fluttered as fragile as a falling leaf upon his ears, "did you expect it to be?"

Suzaku wanted to snap at Lelouch, because the boy just didn't _understand_ —

"I know you're Genbu Kururugi's son…," Lelouch said to his surprise, "How could I not? You have his last name, you're rather careless with giving it out by the way, and I lived in Japan before Britannia attacked… so I'm fairly familiar with the politics prior to the invasion. I heard rumours about the training that he gave to his child… but I never really believe it…," his eyes locked onto Suzaku's clearly, "It was true, wasn't it?"

Breath escaping him, as his chest constricted painfully, Suzaku gave a firm nod, "Yeah… it was. Do you have a problem with that?" He added bitterly.

"It's not your fault."

The soft reassurance surprised Suzaku, though he didn't really know why. And as sure as the reassurance parted the dam that Suzaku had built around his thoughts, defensively, insecure and misplaced anger flooded in to push it back.

"Not my fault?" Suzaku stated angrily, "Of course it's my fault!" He shouted, letting his voice rise, "It's my fault that Britannia was successful in its invasion! It's my fault that my mentor is dead!"

He should have been guilty to say that he was satisfied in causing Lelouch's face to pale visibly, but he wasn't. He was viciously satisfied.

"You couldn't be responsible..."

"Oh you'd be surprised," Suzaku muttered darkly, temper getting the better of him, "If I hadn't hesitated, if I hadn't run to Toudou first, I would've killed him when I had the chance; I would've stopped my father from surrendering. And then we were running. My father had been killed by the Britannian army—it wasn't supposed to happen," Suzaku said when he saw Lelouch's eyes widen, "Toudou and the other Four Holy Swords went into hiding, taking me with them. We were going to rebel, strike back somehow and take back our country... but then... because of me, because of that _damn Britannian Prince_... Toudou was murdered."

Lelouch's body tensed next to his, on the piano bench. "So..." was the soft response, "that's what you dream about."

He didn't need to confirm it. Lelouch knew. He could feel those amethyst eyes staring into his being, demanding answers, but mercifully declining.

" _You don't know, Lelouch_. You don't know what it was like... and I have no intention of telling you anymore," Suzaku said darkly.

Soft fingers touched Suzaku's shoulder, causing him to whip out, almost striking Lelouch's arm in automatic reflex, before he paused and realized just who was in the room with him. Imploring him. He fought back a gasp, determined not to give away anymore of his secrets.

But Lelouch wasn't going to let it go so easily, he was stubborn like that.

"Tell me. Help me understand. Or try to."

"You won't."

Again, Lelouch snorted, tilting his neck to the side, as ebony locks fell and graced across the long lines of his neck, "Kururugi, you forget that _I_ , at one time, plotted revenge against Britannia before I made a stupid mistake and discovered that one person alone, cannot change the world. I think I will understand more than you know."

Suzaku said nothing.

"At least I'm not threatening you against a tree," Lelouch said dryly, referring to their argument in the park a few days earlier.

At first, Suzaku wasn't going to say a thing. But somehow, maybe because it was Lelouch or maybe because he didn't want to lie or stay angry at the other boy, the words tumbled out in a disarray of details.

"We were running—again. We did that a lot back then. Lots of spies and traitors. Many traitors. It seemed as if there was no where safe for the remains of the Japanese government to run. Then—I was thirteen—came the day when we were ambushed by a Britannian squadron. Toudou told me to hide and stay put behind some trees, where they wouldn't see. Toudou and the others were cornered... they were fighting to the death, for themselves, for me... I think they realized that they wouldn't survive this battle... and I realized that too... and yet... _yet I didn't do a thing_. I didn't get up and fight. I didn't pick up a gun and join them, because _I was too scared to_ ," Suzaku's eyes went distant, reliving a past that Lelouch couldn't possibly reach him in, "and that's how I failed him. I didn't get up and fight to the end. I didn't try to save him... in the end, I did nothing—and that is just as if I took out a gun and shot Toudou myself."

Numbing silence followed. He knew that Lelouch wouldn't be able to remark about his past—he seemed too shocked to.

But Lelouch always contradicted him.

"That is stupid."

Suzaku spun around to gawk at him, "Excuse me?"

Bluntly, Lelouch repeated, "That is stupid. You couldn't have saved him. Did you have a weapon or any kind of—"

Anger spiked in him again, "I've been trained to fight since I learned to walk! I should've—"

"At thirteen years old?" Lelouch shook his head in disgust, "It's a sad reality that we have child soldiers out there in the world, but I doubt your beloved mentor would've wanted you to become one just for his sake. He would've wanted you to live your life out in peace—"

"—What kind of life could I possibly live knowing that I failed someone dear to me? I could only atone for my sins or—"

"God! Just listen to yourself, Suzaku!" Lelouch retorted, "You're not a goddamn failure! Failures are those who disregard those they care about on purpose for their own selfish purposes, and then fail nonetheless! No one expected you to kill an entire Britannian squadron at thirteen years old—"

"But I was capable of it—"

Lelouch's eyes flashed in disbelief, "I highly doubt it, but at least you have faith in _some_ aspect of yourself. Suzaku, I… am concerned," he wrinkled his nose, wondering what to God Suzaku was doing to him, making him so sappy, "about you. I just… don't like seeing you hurt yourself—mentally."

The hand that he had placed on Suzaku's shoulder gripped it tighter, as if to confirm that Suzaku was still there, in front of him.

Then it came to Lelouch—the real reason that Suzaku was having all of these hesitations, frustrations. Something had to have triggered his sense of failure. The dreams, the guilt, and these thoughts of the past…. It had something to do with that dodgy appointment yesterday, the one that Suzaku had returned from with injury. That stupid appointment, which was really none of his business. Lelouch buried his outrage and put it aside for later. There would be time for that.

He frowned, determined to get his message across.

"If you really feel this way… do something about it. Are you just going to give up and mope around all day? Is that it? Did something go wrong yesterday at your _appointment_?" Lelouch watched as Suzaku's features scrunched up in self-loathing, it was all he needed as verification so he continued, "Suzaku… get your head out of the gutter! What would this Toudou think? So you apparently failed once? Is that really _your_ fault? And even if it is yours, are you going to let it swallow you whole and take over your life? Fix it! Do something! You're Suzaku Kururugi, for goodness' sake and I refuse to let you sulk over this blasted appointment any longer!" Lelouch paused in his lecture to catch his breath, looking at Suzaku more calmly, "You're better than this, Suzaku."

The biker sat there, condemning himself to his own destructive thoughts.

Lelouch sighed. "I shouldn't have to tell you this, Suzaku. But it seems you've forgotten. If there's anyone or anything to blame for what's happened to you… to Japan… its Britannia."

The light seemed to return to those green eyes that Lelouch desperately wanted to see again. He hadn't even realized that he was holding his breath—just watching, waiting—this whole time, to see them. And in that moment, Lelouch didn't care that he was feeding Suzaku's hate, Suzaku's being and even, his robotic purpose in life. He just wanted to see those eyes light up again.

Because for some reason… it just wasn't _Suzaku_ , the Suzaku he had come to know, without that spark behind those emerald depths.

He found it hard to swallow right then, as nameless emotions swam up and clogged his throat.

Suzaku looked as if he had just found a life line in the middle of a ferocious storm, his face was glinting like mad fire, returning to life and purpose, "Yes… of course… it's all _Britannia's fault_ … how could I forget…? Everything that's happened to me… everything that I've suffered through… It's Britannia… It's those Britannian _Siblings_ and their mother…"

At that moment, Lelouch raised an eyebrow, "Britannian… siblings?"

"Yeah…" Suzaku answered, not exactly paying attention to Lelouch's carefully guarded expression, "If it wasn't for Emperor Charles Zi Britannia's unknown consort running away to Japan with her children and then died, Japan would never have been invaded… _I know it_. It's their fault the war began…"

 _No_ , thought Lelouch. _It can't be the only reasons Father invaded. He wanted the Sakuradite as well… and something else. But mother thought we were safe in Japan… she didn't anticipate him blowing up the boat… but after that, we were presumed dead… Father wouldn't invade to get us back… But… our siblings, Cornelia… Clovis… even Schneizel…_ thought Lelouch with dread, wondering why he had never anticipated this sooner, _they would've wanted revenge, blamed the Japanese for our mysterious 'deaths'. They would've pushed father to invade as well, or used their own manipulations…_

"It's too bad they're not alive…" said Suzaku darkly, "I would've enjoyed killing them."

Goosebumps began to form underneath Lelouch's skin, as he felt all blood rush from his face. _No, stop talking Suzaku_ , he silently pleaded to the other, _stop…_ _I want to trust you; I don't want to regard you as another threat…_

"Lelouch?" Suzaku asked, worriedly, finally noticing Lelouch's pale expression, "Are you alright?"

"Yes…," Lelouch said softly, before correcting his tone into a firmer one, "Yes, of course. Um, we should… get to dinner… By the way, I want your cell phone number," he said hurriedly, "Er… I don't want to be… asking around again if you're late next time. It's best to be cautious…"

"Oh, yes… I didn't think of that… Thanks for worrying about me," Suzaku practically glowed, returning to his normal self around Lelouch.

But inside, Lelouch was berating the boy.

_Stop smiling like that. Stop looking at me like that. Stop treating me like you care._

_Because you don't._

_**I am the one you hate the most, after all.** _

He felt something in his eyes, then. As Suzaku followed behind him, to the kitchens, Lelouch realized that they were wet—he didn't dare ask himself why.

 

 

Walk On In

Extra Scene: Takes Place Between Chapter 6 and (the upcoming) chapter 7

Jeremiah always struck Suzaku as sort of odd. He didn't know why, but there was something off about that man that didn't fit into the whole equation that was the Lamperouge Household. Perhaps it was because Suzaku knew how to act around C.C., Sayoko and Nunnally, but not around Jeremiah. The man wasn't often in the household when Suzaku was, so he didn't have as many chances to interact with him. The only impression that Suzaku had of him so far was that he was overprotective of the Lamperouge siblings (like everyone else in the house, save for maybe C.C.) and liked interrogating people.

But then Suzaku walked in on Jeremiah's little hobby in the garage.

He had walked in, ready to mount his motorbike and ride to the Tea Shop as usual, when he noticed Jeremiah sitting on the stool in front of the garage door, next to his truck. The tall man was just sitting there, hovering over a rather large album book, and… _giggling_ to himself.

Needless to say, at this point, Suzaku should've been creeped out.

Don't worry—he was.

"Er, what are you doing, Jeremiah?" Suzaku asked quizzically, attempting to peek over Jeremiah's shoulder.

"Gah! I didn't do anything, Sayoko-san, _I swear_!" Jeremiah jumped out of his chair—stool—thing and fell on his bottom rather ungracefully.

Suzaku had to hide a smirk at Jeremiah's outward show of fear around Sayoko (then again, who _wasn't_ scared of that crazy ninja maid?).

"Nah, it's just me."

"Oh."

"Yup."

"Right."

"Hm."

Jeremiah's brow lowered, trying to hide something behind him, "Go away."

But Suzaku had already noticed that Jeremiah was hiding some photos that had fallen out of the album, "Hey… is that Lelouch in a dress?"

" _He was three years old!_ Marianne was quite fond of his pretty eyes and insisted we take a picture of his 'youthful beauty', as she put it, and for future blackmail!"

"Blackmail?" (What was wrong with this family?)

"Well, you know, when he got in the rebellious stage. We could use the photos to control him. Of course it didn't work …"

"What?" Suzaku blinked, "I didn't catch that."

Jeremiah tried to whistle innocently, "I didn't say anything…"

"So, why are you staring at a bunch of baby photos of Nunnally and Lelouch?"

"Uh… no reason…"

Stare.

"… I don't stare at the frilly dresses."

More staring.

"And I _definitely_ don't go around designing new dresses for Milly to force Lelouch-sama to wear at school during who-knows-what and for Nunnally's casual wear," said Jeremiah even more quickly.

Even more staring.

"Ok. How about I give you ten of my best photos of Lelouch in drag, and you promise never to tell Sayoko-san or anyone else about this, ever?"

Suzaku leered at him, "I'll take the ones where he has a bonnet on too… really cute…"

Thus, the creepy meeting with Jeremiah-kun was never mentioned again. Except for more photos (Poor Lelouch…).


	8. Chapter 7: Theft

"So what do you think of it, your highness?"

The voice echoed throughout the confines of the building, particularly in the room that was the size of a military hanger. It made any person who walked in feel small and insignificant when being compared to the massive dimensions of this space reserved solely for the many mechanical giants which lay dormant around them. The Knightmare frames had the figures of humans, limbs and all included, yet their almost faceless features lacking human [skin](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5321256/8/Walk_On_In) and expression showed all too well that they were machines. Metal, crafted as the latest in design and technology, dressed these powerful weapons into sleek completion.

They were the pride of the Britannian nation, the symbol of their conquests and colonial power. But Lloyd wasn't naïve; he knew that these beautiful creations were not just decoration… They were weapons, tools of destruction—and what gorgeous and fiery destruction did they make. And at [the moment](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5321256/8/Walk_On_In), they were lined up, row by row, in perfect straight lines, like tombstones.

Lloyd smiled almost coyly at his guest, his glasses flashing from the lights hanging high above. His lab coat shuffled quickly behind his knees, as he clasped his hands together, almost as if he were fighting the urge to pet and coddle his newest toy. By his side, a blue-haired woman shook her head fondly at his actions. Cecile knew, all too well, that Lloyd preferred the company of machines to human beings. Still, she didn't mind.

Ashford University prided itself in being one of the leading facilities for science and engineering. It was affiliated with the infamous Ashford Academy and specialized in the construction and design of Knightmare frames. Cecile and Lloyd were in charge of the engineering corps. They invested much of their time coming up with new models for Knightmare frames and improving Knightmare maintenance and performance. They currently worked in Area 11's own Ashford University. There were rooms and lectures for educational purposes. But it was mostly a lab controlled by the Britannian [government](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5321256/8/Walk_On_In). Guildroy Ashford had long ago sold his university to one man.

Their guest, the man now owned the facility, smiled widely, "It's quite the piece of work. It'll outshine all of the previous generations of Knightmare frames—if it works."

A very rude snort emerged from the Earl's mouth which would've made Cecile hit him on the head if they weren't in the presence of royalty.

"Of course it'll work! What do you take me for? An idiot? No! I just need the perfect pilot who synchronizes perfectly with my Knightmare's systems and I'll have the best performance rate in history!" Lloyd proclaimed loudly, his voice swimming with pride.

Prince Schneizel shook his head affectionately at the Earl's antics, running a hand through his smooth blond hair. His eyes surveyed the Knightmare frame from top to bottom, coolly. He stopped his gaze upon the 'face' of the Knightmare, observing the white and gold paint which seemed to wink at him under the ceiling lights.

"…It's like a chess piece," the elder Prince murmured quietly to himself, "a white Knight."

Lloyd stopped his ranting for one moment upon hearing Schneizel's wording. He grinned, very amused.

"Why else would I name it _Lancelot_?"

**Walk On In**

**-7- Theft**

He was warm.

This was the first thing that Suzaku noticed when his internal clock woke him up that morning.

Normally Suzaku wouldn't have put so much importance on such a trivial detail, for warmth often accompanied blankets and pillows, which he had. Ever since he had moved into the Lamperouge household he hadn't the worry for the cold which seeped into the dark. Those chilly nights in the ghetto were distant memories like dreams that had never been fully realized. It was hard to believe that he had once slept on the streets, in a murky motel or in a broken down apartment. Now he woke up to the comforting feel of fabric and blankets.

This warmth was different from the softness of fabric which insulated heat. The warmth filled his arms, breathing in and out at the same leisurely pace that he did. This warmth radiated from his arms rather than insulated it. It smelled of a light hint of lavender and extreme cleanliness, like when you stepped out of a shower, towel dry. He could touch it with his lips, savouring the comforting feel against his skin, comforting him. He hadn't felt this warm in a long time; in fact, he didn't think that he had ever felt this warm before in his life.

Suzaku opened his eyes, focusing on the blur of black against his face, and the lithe limbs which seemed to be tentatively wrapped around his chest. He blinked again, realized his own arms were wrapped around the boy's waist and that the warmth was coming from Lelouch, who had ended up cuddling against Suzaku sometime during his sleep.

If possible, the warmth in Suzaku's chest seemed to multiply exponentially at the thought. His lips, whether he had noticed it or not, were so wide that they rivalled the Cheshire cat's grin and his arms circled even tighter against Lelouch's waist, pulling the boy closer to him. Closing his eyes, Suzaku breathed in the scent of Lelouch's hair, smiling as he felt the boy's soft hair against his cheek.

It was like a dream come true to finally awake to Lelouch in his arms (especially when the Britannian boy so stubbornly pushed him away all of the time) and Suzaku was determined to enjoy every second of it. After all, Lelouch wasn't known for his carelessness. If this was the one time that Lelouch slipped up and put down his guard, allowing himself to become trapped in Suzaku's embrace then the biker was not going to complain one bit. He had only felt Lelouch's permeating warmth in his musings and the rare times that Lelouch offered him comfort from the ghosts that still haunted him.

How nice it was to wake up seeing the boy's unguarded expressions as he slept, eyes closed and unaware of all things, floating in a blissful other world. As his arms held on tighter to Lelouch's body, Suzaku let his hand trail upwards until they reached the boy's silky black locks. Tenderly, his fingers threaded through the messy trails of black, as if trying to memorize the surface and feel of every hair. Oh yes, if Suzaku could wake up to this every day he could almost forget what he was fighting for, that there was a rebellion brewing, that he wasn't even supposed to be near Lelouch, a Britannian.

But he didn't care. Around Lelouch he forgot everything important and felt as if he had never been through Hell. The feeling made him soar. Every time he saw Lelouch he felt (no matter how cliché it was) as if he were looking at his salvation, a heavenly light. He saw only perfection, the perpetual answer to all of his problems, a place to go when he wanted to forget about the darkness, the hatred inside.

He needed Lelouch for this very reason and had no intention of ever letting go.

"This is dangerous, don't you think?" drawled a monotonous voice which did nothing but evoke extreme irritation from him.

Instantly, Suzaku's body jerked upwards, arms releasing Lelouch (though reluctantly) and were now raised in an instinctive defensive pose. Fists stretched out in warning, waiting for any unexpected attack and his mind reverted back to its readied fighting state. Emerald eyes narrowed dangerously at the person in the doorway who leaned casually against the wall, baggy sweats and tang top clinging around her curves.

"What the hell are you doing in here, C.C.?" Suzaku hissed at her as quietly as he could manage. He was still aware of the slumbering Lelouch by his side on the bed and had no desire to wake him up accidentally because of some regular disagreement.

The sides of the witch's mouth quirked upwards faintly and as usual her eyes were unreadable. She lazily crossed her arms and surveyed the scene with a neutral expression on her face. That was why it was surprising when she got right to the point, instead of using any evasive and sly methods of speech that Suzaku had grown used to.

"You're using him, Kururugi."

He didn't know how to decipher the emotion in C.C.'s voice, but at the moment he didn't care. Anger swept within his insides as a hot poison burning his veins at the witch's accusation.

"How dare you?" Suzaku spat at her, rising from the covers and stepping towards her menacingly. "I would never _use_ him. I'm not like you."

"You're a stray," she told him bluntly, golden eyes betraying none of the real thoughts coursing through her complex mind. "All strays use their masters; I'm not ashamed to admit it. We take advantage of every kindness, every loving gesture and fool ourselves into thinking that it will last forever…," her eyes did not stray from his. "But this is just an illusion. You can't forget who you are, Kururugi. You can't forget where you come from and what you stand for."

At a loss for what to say as he tried to process the meaning in her words, Suzaku merely scowled at her. Before he could open his mouth to say anything rash, C.C. spoke again.

"Don't use Lelouch as a way to escape," her voice, though normally monotonous, suddenly had a hard edge to it.

Suzaku froze, and then hardened his gaze. "What are you talking about? I told you, I would never use him for anything!"

But C.C. merely continued, as if he hadn't asked any question. She looked at him with seemingly omnipotent eyes, which gleamed with hidden knowledge. "He is better off not knowing about us, about what is to come. He isn't an angel or some almighty answer from God to all of your problems. He's human, just as human and fragile… as you are."

"Shut up!" Suzaku spat at her.

For some reason, he couldn't bare to hear any of the lies, the thoughts, which emerged from her treacherous lips. He would ponder on 'why' later. At the moment he was much more concerned with making the witch react, causing her to feel pain as much as he did. The strangely dark turn in his thoughts didn't bother him in the slightest—but it should've.

"What about you?" Suzaku turned on the witch, circling round her like a hawk, "You're the one who is using him to hide away from Zero. You're the one using Lelouch as an escape, a way to hide."

The witch merely looked at him enigmatically, before walking out of the room, "Yes. I am. But at least I'm not deluding myself into thinking that I'm not, _stray_."

She left Suzaku seething, and with an unsettling cold feeling in the bottom of his stomach, one that he didn't want to acknowledge.

"You're wrong, C.C.," Suzaku murmured—whether it was to himself or to the witch herself remained uncertain. His fists tightened, "I'm not using him. I'm not."

* * *

Several moments had passed by where Suzaku had stood still, lost in thought in the middle of Lelouch's bedroom. Then he went to the bathroom, got himself cleaned up, and headed downstairs for some breakfast.

By this time, Lelouch was already up and chewing on a piece of toast, books and bags scrunched between his arms. Weekday breakfasts were relatively simple compared to the weekends because time was more of a concern. Lelouch and Sayoko couldn't affair to take the care to prepare any extravagant meals when they had to rush to school (Lelouch to Ashford while Sayoko drove Nunnally). The boy had gotten ready quite quickly. He had probably used the bathroom downstairs in the time that Suzaku spent getting ready. The very sight of a tired Lelouch made Suzaku's insides warm.

The biker couldn't resist greeting the boy with an enthusiastic arm around the shoulder, squeezing him close, "Good morning, Lelouch! Can I give you a ride on my bike today?"

Every morning he would ask, but Lelouch would insist on preserving his health and sanity by walking to Ohgi's tea shop. Happily (though a bit disappointed that he wouldn't be riding with Lelouch) he would insist on walking there with the student. He expected the same reaction from him as always.

When Lelouch merely stiffened slightly and then smiled at him, Suzaku felt that something was wrong. The very smile that Lelouch gave him was not the one of self-confidence and slight annoyance. Instead it seemed a bit forced… and almost sad.

Before Suzaku could say anything, Lelouch brushed off Suzaku's hand from his shoulder and told him briskly, "I'm getting a ride from Rivalz to school today. I'll see you later tonight…"

"Wait," Suzaku moved his hand to Lelouch's arm, stopping him. His heart raced with unknown fear, something he couldn't exactly name. "Why are you getting a ride today? Is something wrong?"

The boy looked as if he was staring at Suzaku, but his expression couldn't have been anymore distant or distracted. When Suzaku was about to comment on it, Lelouch was rushing to the doorway and slipping on his school shoes. Suzaku followed him, intent on figuring out what the cause of Lelouch's aloofness could be but before he could step out, a pale finger flicked him on the nose.

"I don't need to be escorted to and from home to school like a princess, I'll be fine, Suzaku. Besides, Rivalz has been irritating me with several different trivial issues that I need to shut him up and appease him by letting him drive me to Ashford today. I will see you in the evening."

The explanation, brisk as it was, would have comforted Suzaku a little if Lelouch had not turned his back so briskly and marched down the steps with a controlled temperament.

"Lelouch, are you sure you'll—"

" _Yes_ , Suzaku. Now quiet down and get ready for the day, I do have better things to attend to," the student waved him off just as a shiny bike rolled up in the driveway.

Another student, wearing the same uniform as Lelouch and sporting a silly grin, waved towards the boy. The glinting white of his helmet shone in Suzaku's eye, to the biker's annoyance and Suzaku couldn't help but inwardly sneer at the state of the so-called bike that the student owned. Apparantly this, the biker looked distastefully at the boy's blue hair, was Rivalz.

Oblivious to Suzaku's brooding Rivalz lifted up another white helmet, identical to his own, and tossed it towards Lelouch. The helmet soared in the air like a volleyball, and was coming towards Lelouch's arms. However, the Britannian student jumped a second too late and the helmet hit him in the shoulder with a clutter on the ground. Lelouch's fingers were braced carelessly in the air to catch it, now frozen as the onlookers realized that his reaction time was delayed.

"Man, Lelouch, you suck!" Rivalz sniggered. "Remind me not to play on the same team as you in Gym class."

Oh boy, already, Rivalz's was annoying him... with his voice, and that stupid prank (how dare he throw something at Lelouch? What if that had hurt him? Never mind if it was just a harmless helmet!) Suzaku had a strong urge to grab Lelouch and tell him to get a ride with him instead. Of course, he didn't want to upset Lelouch anymore than he already had and Lelouch seemed to be handling this very well.

The student in question quickly straightened his arms with a huff and somehow managed to storm his way over to Rivalz's bike with a certain grace. He picked up the helmet from the ground, scowling.

"Like I'll go to class today...," he muttered.

Rivalz paused in his laughter and promptly, his face lit up. "Alright! You mean you're up to go against some nobles then?"

He received an unimpressed stare as a reply. To Suzaku's chagrin, Rivalz only seemed more encouraged by this and whooped loudly, swinging an arm around Lelouch's shoulder. Now Suzaku was seeing red, and he wasn't quite sure why.

_Calm down, get a hold of yourself. He's just Lelouch's friend. Nothing more. A really annoying friend. Who is giving a ride to Lelouch instead of me. Yeah. That's it._

This did not reassure Suzaku, but it did make him more rational. He was still uneasy about Lelouch's strange behaviour in the morning, but there was nothing more he could do because Lelouch was already seat belted in Rivalz's bike, and they were driving off now, without so much as a goodbye or a look back and...

He looked at his hands.

He hadn't realized that they were bleeding, because his nails had been digging into his skin.

* * *

"Let's just skip the afternoon classes, Rivalz."

"Eh?" The wind flapped in his ears as well as the buzz of the bike. It made Rivalz's voice difficult to make out, so Lelouch made sure to pay attention (even though it looked like he wasn't, after all, he had a book on Edmund Spenser opened in front of him). "Why not the whole day? Once we're in Madame President's territory, it'll be difficult to sneak out, especially if Shirley is on the lookout. That girl needs to live a little."

He was speaking of Shirley. Milly lived a little too much for Lelouch's liking. Her frivolous ways and mindless antics had made his previous academic years more than any sane person could bear. If he was forced into another skirt or had to wear stupid cat ears one more time, he wasn't going to be responsible for what would happen next.

But that was beside the point.

"I'm not in the mood."

"Aw, come on, you're _never_ ," Rivalz rolled his eyes, speeding past two blue cars on the road, "in the mood to deal with the Prez. I need a better excuse than that, Lu."

Lelouch frowned. He tried to concentrate on the next paragraph of his book but all his mind could do was echo back the words Suzaku had said the evening before...

"...Lelouch?" Rivalz asked, when he hadn't answered.

"It's nothing."

"Bullshit. Tell me what's up."

" _It's nothing_. I don't want to talk about it."

He flipped another page. Not a word stuck to his head. He was reading it, but the comprehension and true meanings of the sentences seemed to pass through his mind like air. Lelouch felt neither frustrated nor angry, but he felt a dull ache in his chest. _(Britannian siblings... their fault...)_

Class would help, surely. It would give him something, no matter how pointless and dull and redundant it was, to focus on, before he could redirect his emotions on a good chess match.

 _Just focus_. He told himself this. _Suzaku will never know. I will never tell him._

But the words on the page still refused to be read.

* * *

Rivalz paused at a red light. The rumble of the bike filled the gap of contemplative silence. It was unlike Lelouch to be so... sombre. It didn't happen unless it was the anniversary of his mother's death or the anniversary of Britannia's conquest of Area 11. It didn't happen unless something came up at home (which was rare, if ever). The sombre mood continued to seep into Rivalz's consciousness, like a steady heart beat, which only grew louder in his ears, until he could bear it no more.

Rivalz opened his mouth, as if to ask something, but when he saw how unusually pale Lelouch looked at this moment (as if a ghost had come back, or murder had been done), he shook his head.

"Whatever works for you, man. Just," Rivalz hesitated for a moment, "remember that if you ever want to talk, I'm here."

He said nothing, but Rivalz saw his shoulders relax slightly as Lelouch muttered a quick thanks.

Rivalz grinned back, though Lelouch couldn't see it, too lost in his thoughts.

Aloof as Lelouch acted, he was still Rivalz's (self-proclaimed) best friend. The guy was decent and had a code of honour that Rivalz had never seen in anyone he had ever met before. It made Rivalz admire him (though he'd never admit it). Making any emotion appear on Lelouch's face besides blankness was a game the entire student council loved to indulge in. Milly did it through festivals and blackmail; Shirley did it with kindness and her choir that Nunnally sung in while Nina did it through academic debate.

And Rivalz? This was his way of making Lelouch anything other than an empty canvas. He gave Lelouch an outlet.

The fact that Rivalz managed to get Lelouch to go gambling was a miracle. It was so rare in itself. The only times Lelouch allowed himself to be cajoled into Rivalz's schemes was when he had something serious on his mind. Rivalz didn't know Lelouch that well to be entitled to what troubles the boy was having, but he had enough tact to allow him this method of release.

Hopefully this would take Lelouch's mind over whatever he was brooding about.

* * *

Kallen knew something was wrong the minute Suzaku walked into the warehouse. He was back in the leather jacket and black apparel, a cigarette was clenched between his lips while his eyes were hidden behind black lenses. His hair, usually messy, seemed wilder than normal, to reflect his agitation. Every step he took seemed to be fuelled with this frustration... and he was wearing those damn black gloves again.

The last time he had worn them—those black leather gloves with silver studs against the knuckles, sharp like spikes, and an embroidered dragon on the palms—he had beaten up two entire gangs of Britannian thugs and sent a dozen of them into critical care at the hospital. Kallen still shivered at the memory sometimes, because she remembered, on that day, how possessed Suzaku had been before Zero. He had always seemed to be downcast, surrounded by an air of obsessive rage, more so than any Japanese she had ever met. Even when he joined up with Zero, this rage did not die down... no it had merely become focused towards a tangible goal and after Suzaku started talking to Lelouch, she had forgotten about it.

But Suzaku was wearing those gloves again and Kallen couldn't be sure if that meant he was going to be possessed by his anger once more or if it was just for this occasion. Subconsciously, Kallen tensed as he passed by her and the punching bag roughly, moving towards his locker.

She would have scolded him for his rude behaviour. Since when was it acceptable to ignore her, his partner, anyways? She would have... if it hadn't been for the reminder of the appointment with Gino and Rolo, the failures which had haunted her dreams...

Suzaku was likely to be as upset as she was. Kallen bit her lip and frowned, keeping one eye on Suzaku who was shoving things in his locker with obvious aggression (the poor duffle bag was being round kicked needlessly). She wasn't very good at the whole comforting thing and thought that emotional crap was a waste of time, but if she didn't try something, Suzaku's wild emotions would interfere with their mission and she wasn't going to tolerate another failure to Zero this time.

With a reluctant scowl, Kallen moved to Suzaku's side and placed one hand on the locker. "Oy, Kururugi. What crawled up your ass this morning?"

"No one asked you, Kallen. It's none of your business." He reached up to the top shelf of the locker and pulled out a plastic bag, which had a pristine black uniform. Then he slammed the door shut, like it had offended him deeply.

"If you're going to be pmsing during the mission, then it is my business. I'm not going to let us fail Zero again, Suzaku, you know that. So get your emotions under control or I swear you will never see your family jewels in the same way again."

This only gained an amused snort, as the biker took off his jacket and leaned against the wall. He took a drag off of his cigarette and blew a puff of smoke into the air. It rose into tangible curls before disappearing into the air, but a moment's life.

"I know what's at stake, Kallen."

She glowered, "Then don't screw up."

His lips formed a hard line, "I won't. You better not either, Kouzuki."

"Heh, I wouldn't dream of it. I'm Zero's Ace after all."

"And I am Zero's Knight. It's _my_ job to realize his revolution."

"How wonderful to see my two prized subordinates being so devoted to my cause," said a smooth baritone voice.

Both bikers wiped around, fists raised to attack the intruder. There was a rustle of movement as they saw a black cape flutter in front of their eyes. Suzaku rushed forward, perhaps to knock the intruder out with a flashy kick to the head, when a gloved arm merely blocked the kick solidly with one hand. Then another gloved hand shot out and threw Suzaku back towards Kallen.

She yelped and jumped back before Suzaku's body could hit her and Suzaku regained enough momentum to land on his feet, midair, rather than fall clumsily against the wall.

Suzaku was going to throw another punch at the intruder when he realized who the confident figure was and he dropped his fists immediately. Kallen's eyes widened and she fell to her knees at the same time as Suzaku, head bowed low.

"We apologize for attacking you so suddenly, Zero-sama! You caught us off guard and it is unforgiveable for us, as your two best subordinates, to have been so carelessly unaware of your presence!"

Kallen stared at the dirty and stained concrete floor in trepidation, her nerves rushing through her veins. For Zero, of all people, to have seen her make such a mistake was an embarrassment that Kallen would never be able to get over! She wouldn't blame him if he exiled her and Suzaku from the black knights forever! _It was inexcusable...!_

"Please," came the amused reply, "stand up. It was of no offense to me, but rather, proved that you are worthy of the titles that I have given you. My Knight and Ace must always be on guard."

Kallen scrambled to her feet, her face aglow with adoration. "Ah, yes! Of course, Zero-sama."

"Thank you, Zero-sama," Suzaku answered in the same reference.

Zero sat upon one of the crates, stacked high in the warehouse. Even in such a place, he seemed regal as always.

"My most loyal Knights, you know how great this day is... today is the day we unveil the Black Knights to the world, to Britannia. Today is the day we begin our revolution... and... the day we will bring justice upon the sinners who took Japan... Are you ready to hear your instructions?"

There was no need to ask. Suzaku was just as eager to know as she was. They kneeled down on one knee, living weapons at his disposal.

"Yes, what are your orders, Zero-sama?"

She wondered what kind of expression Zero made when they asked him. She wondered how the revolutionary of Japan would smile when they carried out his will, and felt a shiver of anticipation run up her spine at the thought.

Anything for Zero. Anything.

* * *

"Yes, yes, I'll organize a little date next week. I can't wait to meet my fiancé so that we can discuss important matters," _like the oldest Knightmare Frame in history_ , thought Lloyd, in a greedy sort of glee, "and get to know each other. Until next time."

The cell phone was snapped shut immediately and Lloyd contented himself to swinging back and forth on his chair. It was rather amusing and helped his thought processes from time to time. Cecile disapproved because she claimed he would get permanently dizzy and lose all sense of direction. Really, the notion was ridiculous because it was scientifically impossible so Lloyd, when Cecile wasn't paying attention, ignored her.

The computer screen began to blink red, signalling an incoming message. Rolling his chair forward, Lloyd clicked on the window and watched as the video feed showed a white delivery truck at the gates of the University. It seemed that the driver wanted to gain clearance to enter. They said they were delivering more equipment for the Knightmares.

Lloyd tilted his head to the side. "I don't recall ordering any more Knightmare parts..."

After much deliberation, Lloyd did the usual when he was confused, or annoyed with other affairs.

"Cecile," he yelled, "did you forget to mention another shipment?"

There was a bang and several crashes from the upper level before Cecile replied, "I suppose I did... that's odd. I never do... Well, let them in! We can sort it out later, better a shipment come in early than never."

"Works for me," Lloyd shrugged before he pushed the button which opened the gates. Of course, he didn't do so before the driver, whose cap was covering his eyes, while a few stray brown locks poked out, presented the necessary identification and paperwork.

When Lloyd saw that it was valid and the computers verified the identification, he allowed the truck to have access to the facility.

The truck entered and drove towards one of the larger garage doors, which lead to the major research facility at which Lloyd was stationed. He was seated at the middle level, in a room full of computers and other equipment used to monitor the Knightmare frames. A large window, where the computers were turned against, gave Lloyd a good view of the shipping area where the rows of Knightmares were aligned. The shipping area was larger than two football fields put together, housing at least three hundred different frames of the recent generations.

Currently, the top secret projects were kept near Lloyd at all times. This was partially because of his overprotective obsession with his 'children' and the need to constantly do maintenance on the new models and so that he could keep an eye of his precious creations at all times. The Lancelot stood currently in the window's view, so that Lloyd always had it in his sights.

Lloyd leaned forward against his chair, absorbed in the image of his Lancelot. He never tired of looking at its sleek white structure, just as parents never tired of doting on their newborn children. It was beautiful, in a way that no one else could ever appreciate except for the creator...

From the side of his peripheral vision, Lloyd finally took notice of the slowly moving truck which was approaching the rows close to his view. The scientist pressed his glasses up against his nose and stood up, placing his hands against the glass to take a closer look. The truck really was moving closer to the window, only to stop exactly in front of the Lancelot, right below the window where he stood.

Lloyd frowned and was about to step out to chase them away from his precious baby.

But then the truck blew open with a flash of gunfire, shattering dozens upon dozens of lined sixth generation Knightmare frames. The colossal holes blew up in showers of sparks and electricity, now true corpses of machinery and scrap. Lloyd was blown back against the wall as his window also shattered and the computer screens simultaneously shut off, pure black, with steam rising hotly from the edges.

He was barely aware of the warm fluid running down against his skin, or the shards of glass piercing his shoes. He only had eyes for the smoke, the sparks and the metal carnage.

"My Knightmares!" Lloyd yelled, running forward, trying to see in the midst of the chaos. "Lancelot!"

His precious baby was still alright, as sleek as when it first had been made. Lloyd's heart slowed in relief, but not for long.

Security was flooding into the facility, dozens of men, from the Britannian militia, all bearing guns, rushed in. They barely flinched at the sight of the destroyed Knightmares (heartless bastards, thought Lloyd) and focused their gunfire towards the red figure which was ripping apart the middle rows of Lloyd's hard work.

That horrible Knightmare-killer was a frame that Lloyd had never seen before... yet it's design seemed oddly familiar to him... He shook the thought off and shouted at the soldiers to apprehend and stop the monster at all costs! What if it destroyed his Lancelot? What then?

"Red team, fire at will!" shouted one captain. Honestly, Lloyd forgot what his name was. "Blue team, take control of any of the undamaged Knightmares ASAP and take the intruder down!"

The storm of gunfire rained upon the red Knightmare that was currently ripping apart of the limbs of several grey Knightmares. The red Knightmare merely reached out with one mechanical arm, a clawed arm, and slashed at the soldiers, throwing them into the ceiling, while some sort of energy formed between the claws of its right arm.

"C-captain, what is that?"

"Duck!"

There was a large explosion of energy—red, fiery like the sun—as the red Knightmare threw the ball of blazing energy into the wall of the facility, blasting away a row of thirty grey frames and half the facility's eastern wall into nothingness. The only testaments to their prior existence on earth were the stray ashes and steam, rising slowly like broken souls.

It was the type of power that Lloyd had dreamed of blessing a Knightmare frame with, but had never gotten close to doing so, except with the Lancelot. For a moment, he felt a chill of jealousy and envy. Whoever had built that red Knightmare...? It was a fine specimen of machinery... to use pure radiation as to blow apart buildings... almost as destructive as the VARIS particle rifle he had designed for his Lancelot...

But no, his Lancelot was far more superior. Once he found the proper pilot—the right pilot—it would exceed all previous models to date.

As long as he could prevent it from being destroyed by these terrorists. Lloyd felt a deep annoyance rise within him as he stumbled forth and pulled open one of the drawers. Cecile kept weapons on hand for precaution and Lloyd was glad of it. He'd shoot anyone who dared to scratch his baby.

The pistol was an unfamiliar yet welcome weight in his hands. He'd happily pull the trigger if it meant he could protect his precious creation!

"We're losing men! We need to call for back-up, captain, what do we do? ARGH!"

Blood spilled on the cement floor, painting the motionless and broken glascows and Sutherlands in red.

The cries of the panicked soldiers were cut off by the red Knightmare as it tossed them aside, like they were insects. Of course, compared to the gigantic Knightmares, soldiers stood no chance. Unless someone actually reached an undamaged Knightmare frame (again, unlikely. Only the Lancelot seemed to be alright, for now) then the soldiers stood no chance. It only proved how superior technology was to human physiology.

Like a mechanical lioness, the red Knightmare slashed off the 'heads' of more sixth and fifth generation models. The tears of metal and sparks proved as a suiting accompaniment to the instrumental of destruction.

The few soldiers that had stayed, either from sheer stupidity, arrogance or fear, frantically shot at the Knightmare. Even though it proved useless, as the bullets ricocheted off the peculiar red Knightmare like rain, they continued to fire.

They were so stupid, Lloyd thought.

The red Knightmare moved, crushing the soldiers with its five clawed arm. A sickening squelch was heard as the others ran in fear.

"What is this thing? I've never seen—"

Another dead.

Lloyd ran out the door, down the stairs and into the warzone, past the sizzling arms of his mechanical children and past the smoke which felt like mechanical screams to his ears—cries of now outdated machines that would never be used for the battlefield. Lloyd mourned the loss as a parent would mourn a child who never lived to be married.

He reached the truck, ducking for cover. From the side, the red Knightmare had already destroyed another row of his children and it served as another stab to his heart. All that precious work wasted. He wouldn't forgive that Knightmare, no matter how well designed it was. When he got his hands on it, he'd steal its concepts and then leave it to the scrap yard to burn.

But first, he needed to get into the Lancelot, he was going to pilot it out of here... Its protection was top priority over all else...

A shadow descended above him. Lloyd stilled and looked up.

The bright red helmet gleamed in the blinking head lights, while smoke did little to obscure the glowing glass eyes fashioned to a human-like shape. Yet there were no pupils there, only dark glass, which made it somehow worse, because it seemed like the thing was looking at him with no emotions.

( _It was perhaps the only flaw in machines..._ )

Lloyd opened his mouth, perhaps to shout in protest, perhaps to say something brave or truly stupid, but he never got the chance to say the words.

The machine's long silver claws, like the pincers of a lobster or the teeth of a shark, fell down upon Lloyd. The silver glinted like the wings of an avenging archangel, banishing the devil into hell. And then Lloyd was thrown against the chest of one of the destroyed Knightmare frames (a broken child, catching its parent, a broken corpse) and he faded into unconsciousness.

_(...no matter how human they look, there is never emotion in their eyes.)_

* * *

Suzaku jumped out of the truck and ran towards the towering Lancelot as soon as Kallen activated the Guren MK-II. Already Kallen was demolishing the militaries' latest fleet of Knightmare frames, just as Zero had ordered. There was still no sign of security, but from the sound of the alarms blaring as well as the explosions, soon they would arrive.

He looked at his target, the towering figure of the only (save for Guren, not that Britannia knew that) seventh generation frame in the world. Zero's spies were correct in their investigations. The white Knightmare frame looked impressive, a white statue of justice, perfect for Zero's cause.

Suzaku jumped up towards the white Knightmare. It stood side by side with a Sutherland, letting Suzaku jump on the side of the Sutherland and then propel himself to the midway point of the white Knightmare and so on. He easily reached the cockpit of the white Knightmare and pulled out the 'crower' that Rakshata had designed specifically for breaking into enemy machines and bypassing their identification pass codes, allowing Black Knights to pilot them.

It looked like a taser (or in Kallen's opinion, an electronic razor). Suzaku merely shoved the bladed end between the hinges of the door to the cockpit, pressed a button and radiation, must like the radiation in the Guren's claw, was emitted at lower doses to melt part of the hinge, letting the door open. It took a few minutes, in which Suzaku's heart pounded in his ears and he could only hear the sounds of gunfire (Security had arrived much quicker than expected) and blasts of melting fire (Kallen was going all out again).

Done. He kicked open the door of the cockpit and jumped inside. From there he punched out another part of the 'crower' which looked like the end of an usb stick, or the keys to a standard military Knightmare frame. Suzaku shoved the 'crower' into the key slot and watched as the screen in front of him lit up. Rakshata's device was successful in hacking into the system of the Knightmare.

" _Confirming about seventy percent of enemy machines terminated. Knight, you done yet?_ " Kallen's voice sounded in Suzaku's ears. The wireless ear piece was clipped to his right ear, while a small microphone was clipped to the collar of his shirt.

"Hacking complete. Preparing to pilot the machine—" _Lancelot_ , Suzaku read on the screen. Like the knight from the Arthurian legends, one of the only Britannian stories that had ever stood out in his mind. The knight that had been most loyal to King Author... and the greatest betrayer. Ironic, seeing as how he would use this machine against the empire. The dark smirk appeared on his face before he knew it. He stretched his fingers and let gloved hands rest on the controls, "—Ace, we'll leave in three minutes. Destroy all machines by then."

There were several crashing sounds and static from the other line. Kallen began to curse as loud as possible, making Suzaku scowl, the noise hurt his eardrums. From his other ear he heard the sound of more gunfire, the shouts of soldiers, the shattering of glass, crushed metal—" _Shit!_ _Hurry up, Knight! How long does it take for you to figure out how to pilot a Knightmare anyways? I'm almost done terminating the machines!_ "

There were more blasts, probably from the Guren's radiation emitter. The Guren had a lack of long-range attacks and was better suited for defensive manoeuvres, but once enemies were in close range, they stood no chance against the Guren's arm.

He scanned the details on the screen quickly. One of Zero's informants, Diethard, had managed to get a hand on a preliminary manual for the Lancelot, when it had been in one of its earlier productions. The manual, however, proved a poor substitute for the real thing, Suzaku realized as he looked at the list of recent add-ons to the Lancelot's design.

 _Two energy shields, some sort of particle beam... VARIS? Four slash harpens, fun... some swords too... I like this machine more and more... no ejection seat?_ Suzaku paused in his mental inventory, a sick kind of thrill coming down his spine. His dark smirk grew wider. _Fine with me, it's an experimental prototype anyways, makes sense... Powered by Sakaradite... quite the energy supply. But I wonder if it can truly surpass any other Knightmare generations...?_

There was only one way to know, Suzaku's heart pounded in anticipation. It was time for the Lancelot to bestow its first act of judgement, for Zero.

The sound of bullets ricocheting screamed in his earpiece. Kallen was cursing again—" _Screw you, Britannian soldiers, screw you all to Hell! Like this will stop me!_ " Her laughs were hysterical, with a dark edge that Suzaku shared in his own.

"I'm ready, Ace. Let's rendezvous back with Zero."

The Guren landed in front of him, by the truck. Suzaku noticed, on the screen, a scientist stumbling towards him, before Kallen steered the Guren's arm down and the man was thrown against another destroyed Knightmare (before the man blacked out, Suzaku saw the most accusing eyes...)

Suzaku moved the Lancelot; its arm reached out in front of him, a child taking its first steps, a machine turned on for the first time, for war.

The driver's coat, his earlier disguise, was fluttering against the Lancelot's fingers, having been abandoned.

He and Kallen donned their new uniforms, black as their alliances implied, the Black Knights.

Suzaku let out a dark and mocking laugh. "Hang on Britannia, we're coming."

" _Not on my watch!_ " screamed another voice on the open radio channel.

" _Knight, behind you!_ " Kallen shifted the Guren forward, to block his attacker before it was too late. Sparks emerged from the claw of the Guren, ready to melt the enemy's electronics with the radiation emitter.

He steered the Lancelot forward, facing the resisting Sutherland. Suzaku couldn't help but feel a strange amusement bubble inside him. So there had been a Brit smart enough to get into one of the surviving Knightmares and use it against them after all.

Whoever was piloting the Sutherland had obviously seen Kallen's attacks previously during the raid, for she (Suzaku could tell from the voice that she was female) manoeuvred it out of range from the Guren's radiation attack using a stun gun. She was quick to pull the gun out, blasting apart the leg of Kallen's Guren before its claws could do any damage.

Kallen swore loudly again, moving the Guren back just in time. The leg of the Guren suffered some damage and Suzaku could see that it was more difficult for Kallen to manoeuvre that leg.

In the meantime, the Sutherland moved forward, one arm holding the stun gun while the other held a Lance, pointed to spear the Guren through. The pilot moved the stun gun upwards to shoot at the Guren's headpiece, where the camera lenses for the eyes were located. If she took them out, then the Guren would be without eyes and Kallen would be blind to the Sutherland's attacks.

Suzaku moved the Lancelot in front of the Sutherland, pleasantly surprised by the ease with which he was able to pilot it, as if this machine had been made for him.

The pilot wasn't expecting anyone to be moving the Lancelot, at least not this efficiently. Suzaku chuckled, knowing he had the element of surprise, and quickly moved the Lancelot's arms. He pulled out the two slash harpens from small compartments in the Lancelot's shin, marvelling at how they lit up with Sakuradite energy, a warning to enemies. They looked like daggers, fit to the Lancelot's hands.

Before the pilot of the Sutherland could change direction or method of attack, Suzaku swooped down, using the Lancelot to stab the Sutherland in the stomach area and then slice across, leaving electrical veins flying open, with a flash of yellow light.

The Sutherland broke apart, in two pieces, the arms holding the stun gun and Lance falling clumsily to the sides.

Suzaku steered the Lancelot onwards again, ready to purge the cockpit of the pilot, while the cockpit flew open and the ejector seat was activated. The Sutherland blew up in front of the Lancelot before Suzaku could stop it, and the pilot escaped, the ejector seat flying off to safer ground.

Outside, the alarms continued to ring, sparks continued to fly and Suzaku turned the Knightmare frame, expecting more soldiers to appear, almost _anticipating_ the arrival of more Knightmares, if only to test his abilities with this new Knightmare.

" _Let's get out of here, Zero is waiting_ ," Kallen urged, the float system of her Knightmare glowed pink. She flew the Guren up into the air, blasting a hole into the ceiling for them to escape through.

"Isn't that conspicuous?" Suzaku asked, turning on the Lancelot's float system as well. Strange how alike this Knightmare frame seemed to be to the Guren... that they both had float systems (1), designed to fly in the air, when other Knightmares lacked it...

" _If we follow the plan, it won't be. Red and Blue should be doing their jobs and retrieving the package that Zero wants to acquire... the military should be distracted enough that we won't have to deal with too much interference before we meet at the rendezvous point. Besides, do you really think any average Knightmares can challenge us now?"_

"You mean how that Sutherland almost managed to disable the Guren's leg?" Suzaku retorted.

" _Oh shut up! That was just a fluke. You're just being a smartass because you get a new Knightmare all to yourself, finally, after begging Zero for one!"_

"Hmph. Keep dreaming," he said, but his voice was anything but joking.

More soldiers would arrive soon if they stayed for any longer.

The urge to teach the Brits a lesson remained in him like an unquenchable flame. He followed the Guren into the skies, waiting in trepidation for the next stage of Zero's plan, something that their leader promised to inform them of once they arrived at the checkpoint...

_I wonder what Zero plans to do with it... that poison gas... and the other thing, the thing he wouldn't mention..._

A potential tool, Zero had called it. But what kind of tool was it? And why was it accompanied with poison gas?

"Thieves! They're stealing the Engineering Corps' Lancelot!" screamed one of the wounded soldiers as soon as reinforcements arrived to deal with the aftermath.

"Now, _would be a good time to leave, Knight!_ "

"I got it, fly faster!"

The gunshots—always the gunshots—followed after.

* * *

"Hey Milly, have you seen Lulu?" Shirley asked when she arrived in the student council room. As usual Nina haunted her little corner by the computer, occasionally smiling at the browser. The president was lounging on a sofa, sipping a fruity drink while she watched the news. There was a disturbing and leering smile on her face as she sketched out some costume designs (Shirley suspected that they were for the next festival and involved Lelouch with some lace, lots of lace).

Rivalz was absent and this only made Shirley's discomfort peak.

"No, he wasn't in any of his classes today. I suppose that naughty child is skipping, and he was starting off so well this year too...," Milly sighed with mock despair.

"This isn't funny! It isn't like Lulu to skip, and you know how Nunna gets every time Rivalz manages to convince him to. It isn't good for his reputation and who knows what vengeful opponents Lulu might meet that might track him down for revenge because he trumped them at chess? We've got to find him right away!"

Milly sipped more of her drink and frowned as she sketched out the frills of a scandalously short skirt. "Hm, me thinks our little Shirley is overreacting a bit. Let Lulu live a little. It's not like he does this every day."

Shirley felt her irritation and frustration take over as she watched Milly erase the lines of a thigh, only to add on fishnet leggings afterwards. "Darn it, Milly, don't you care about him at all? He isn't just a toy or a pet you can leave around all day! Lulu is very delicate, Nunna told me that he had some sort of incident which traumatized him and sometimes he gets these attacks you know so—"

Milly put down her sketchbook and silenced Shirley with a sharp look. The reproachfulness in those eyes shocked Shirley so much that she lost track of what she wanted to say. For a minute, Milly had looked like a silent mother wolf, warning a predator away from her cubs. But when Shirley looked again, Milly's face was kind and she was convinced that she had just imagined it.

"Lulu's... past... is something that he is mature enough to handle, Shirley. And I trust him. You should trust him too. If Lulu felt that the stress was too much and he had to blow it off to indulge Rivalz's money making schemes, then so be it. He is not going to get hurt. Our Lulu is a strong princess," Milly added the pet name with affection and with great irony, not that Shirley knew it.

The worried girl was not convinced but before she could voice her further concern, a deafening sound emerged from the buildings across from the Academy. Milly rushed forward to the window, looking in the direction of the University with fear. Her fingers touched the glass, as if to reach out and put out the smoke rising from the rooftop.

Beside her, Shirley gaped, not knowing what to say while Nina seemed frozen in terror. The mousey girl was mumbling something about terrorists and Elevens ("They'll come after us next, they already got to the University...") which sort of made Shirley even more frightened. Her head and mind suddenly whirled in an irrational state of panic and fear and horror and—

"The news," Milly said, turning around and raising the volume on the channel with the remote. The president seemed unfazed by the possible consequences of the explosion across the street. Shirley envied that calmness.

There was nothing there about the explosion, not yet anyways, it had just occurred. But there was something else...

"... _Britannian military is busy tracking the terrorists in the Tokyo district. They appear to have stolen several gallons of poison gas from a highly secured military lab. Aircraft and vehicles are in pursuit, the public is cautioned from going out into the streets to prevent any traffic jams or collisions with the authority vehicle... This is believed to be the work of Eleven terrorists. The press is waiting for a statement from Prince Clovis regarding the..._ "

"NO!"

Both Shirley and Milly spun around, as Nina dropped to her knees, her eyes wide with a sickening panic. She seemed to be hyperventilating and shaking uncontrollably. Her voice reached an abnormal shrill degree of heightened hysteria.

"Nina, it's going to be alright," Milly walked over, arms embracing the girl. "Don't worry, they can't hurt you—"

"—terrorist... Eleven terrorists—"

"—Sh, it's alright, you'll be fine—"

Milly rocked her back and forth, like a loving mother. Nina's reaction disturbed Shirley in a strange way (she recalled something about Nina, once, being held hostage by Elevens when she was a little girl), because she couldn't contain the panic bubbling in her chest either.

Tokyo district—where Rivalz often dragged Lelouch. That's where the terrorists were driving past. That's where Lelouch was.

Was he ok? Was he alright? Would he be hurt?

Shirley fell against the wall, her knees weak. She forgot all about the strange attack at the University next door, and Milly's calculating but anxious eyes.

"Things will be okay, things will be okay."

Shirley felt like the words were for both her and Nina. She did not stop to think that they might be for Milly, herself, Milly whose beating heart gave away all of her fear.

"...terrorists... Eleven terrorists..." Nina whimpered.

* * *

"Unless you have come to inform me that the terrorists have been apprehended and the _cargo_ has been retrieved, do not dare speak to me."

They had left the party early as soon as news of the theft had been reported. Prince Clovis had not recovered from his shock, his face still as pale as it had been when he had first heard the news. He was seated at this throne located at the top floor of his palace, the room that had an expansive view of the Tokyo district in the distance and the palace grounds. The table in front of the throne had a glass chess board set up, its significance only known to the governor of Area 11.

The other commanders hunched over the battle plans and relaying orders to the Britannian forces. They were too preoccupied to pay attention to what Bismark had to say to his highness and had been given previous orders to concentrate on their tasks no matter what. The cargo stolen took the highest priority, they were told. The cargo held something that in the wrong hands could prove fatal to Britannia.

At the moment, they had helicopters and even the local police in pursuit. The terrorists had killed several others, using some machine guns from the back of the truck. Their actions were becoming more desperate as they took more turns and drove in wild non-patterns through the streets to shake off their pursuers. Sooner or later, they would be cornered or shot.

"My apologies, your highness," Bismark bowed low, eyes focused on the marble tiles, "but I must inform you of another break-in at one of the military's secret laboratories, the one located at Ashford. The engineering corps has reported the experimental prototype, the Lancelot stolen while all of the fifth generation Knightmares in production at that facility have been destroyed."

Clovis stood up from this throne. " _What?_ My brother's specially financed project was _stolen?_ Are there any soldiers in pursuit?"

"No, they have all been ordered to retrieve the cargo stolen from—"

"—Spilt up our forces then. Get the closest officials to take back the Lancelot. My brother won't be pleased if it gets in the wrong hands. I presume it is another batch of _terrorists?_ " The word was spat out bitterly, like it was a disease or a form of superstition which would only attract bad luck.

"We're… not sure. There was no further information. The ones who infiltrated the laboratory had authentic identification to impersonate suppliers. It seems too organized to be a work of terrorism, but given the circumstances," Bismark was referring to the cargo and poison gas that had just been stolen, "these two thefts could be related to a bigger terrorist group we've yet to have knowledge of."

"…Damn it…," hissed the prince as he descended down the steps, muttering to himself. "Could it be _him_? Could this be part of his game?"

"Your highness?"

The prince noticed Bismark's confusion and swiftly changed his tone. "Well? What are you waiting for? Inform the other commanders to spilt their forces into two—one to track the terrorists with the cargo and the other to get the Lancelot back. I won't tolerate any failure. Where's that anchorman? I'm due to broadcast an announcement to the entire Area," the public couldn't know about the contents of the cargo… and the people needed reassurance that the government was in control, that the terrorists were just mere terrorists, not a semblance of organized crime… or worse, organized _rebellion…_

"Yes, right away, your highness," Bismark hurried away.

Clovis stared at the glass chess pieces, scattered on the chess board on the table by the bottom of the stairs, while his commanders rushed back and forth, trying to regain stability of the situation…

 _It's been one week,_ Clovis thought, remembering the message delivered to him personally a few days prior and the image of the burning flag of Britannia. Since then, he had received one more gift—real life models of himself, Emperor Charles and his other siblings in Britannia (with the absence of the two that were dead, the two that haunted him, the two that reminded him of chess) with their heads severed.

The final gift, Clovis could see, was this attack. There was no signature, not yet, but it screamed of impossibilities, of too much coincidence, of this _Zero_. And Clovis only have the feeling that it was about to get worse, much worse.

He still hadn't figured out who Zero was and the end of the seventh day was quickly approaching.

 _He will be coming for me_ , Clovis thought, before he could stop himself. _He knows about the_ project _and once he receives the cargo, he will come for me._

_And he will kill me._

* * *

"So Lelouch, how are you feeling now, man?" Rivalz inquired.

He turned the bike to the freeway, pleased to see that there weren't any cars in sight. Happily, Rivalz increased the speed, enjoying the feel of the wind on his face. The sun shone slightly in his eyes from the right, but it wasn't a big deal. Off in the distance, the sky scrapers looked like little toy blocks for children, stacked up side by side in a manufactured and perfect looking society.

His friend was staring blankly at another book, again. It seemed that he had finished the other one, by Spenser or whatever. Now Lelouch was reading something by a guy named Chaucer. But he had just completed that one too, it seemed, for Lelouch was pulling out yet another paperback, which made Rivalz want to groan. How many books did Lelouch fit in his school bag anyways? Surely such a physically inept guy would be unable to carry the weight of those pages!

Rivalz peeked at the title. It seemed that Lelouch was reading an old Eleven book, something about a bamboo cutter. The other student had also failed to answer his question. Rivalz scowled and asked again.

"Honestly, I'm bored out of my mind, Rivalz. That was a complete waste of time. The noble barely proved a challenge. He made the stupidest mistakes I have ever seen in my life and he barely lasted three minutes against me," Lelouch said bluntly, never looking up from his page. "I conclude that royal blood is wasted on the intellectually challenged."

"Yeah?" Rivalz grinned. At least Lelouch seemed to be back to his good old sarcastic self. Whatever had happened earlier seemed to have been forgotten with some chess, even if the opponent was as inept as Lelouch claimed. The boy always loved winning anyways. "I dunno, Lu. I heard that some of the royal family are geniuses. You can't call them intellectually challenged."

"You'd be surprised," his friend muttered and Rivalz blinked in surprise.

For a minute, he saw a dark bitterness in his friend's eyes, a bitterness he didn't see unless Lelouch went through one of his panic attacks, remembering the rumoured incident, and he was blaming himself for something Rivalz had no idea about…

"Oh don't be like that," Rivalz said quickly. He didn't want Lelouch to linger on any bad memories. Today's skipping had had the purpose of giving his friend an opportunity to loosen up and relax, not make things worse. He still wanted to ask what was bothering Lelouch this morning, but decided not to mention it. If Lelouch wanted to speak of it, he would. Besides, Rivalz could always get Milly to help him distract information tomorrow. "Why not enter a chess competition, or even piano, someday? Maybe you'll meet some good competition _and_ win some good money."

"Always money with you, isn't it?"

"Hey, you know you love me," Rivalz grinned, translating the Lelouch-speak to a fondness.

Lelouch was silent for a few moments, before he spoke. "You know I can't do that-enter competitions. They attract attention, and that's the last thing Nunnally or I need."

Oh, right… he had nearly forgotten. Milly had explained to him once, with Lelouch's permission, that Lelouch and Nunnally were hiding from important people, dangerous people, in Britannia. She didn't explain who or why, but Rivalz had the feeling that the Lamperouge siblings were much more than they seemed. It explained why Lelouch kept so many people at a distance. Whoever was looking for the Lamperouges… they were powerful enough to keep Lelouch paranoid and afraid (even if the boy didn't admit it) and Milly very protective of both siblings.

 _It's not fair_ , thought Rivalz. Why couldn't his friend live a normal life and enjoy things like an everyday teenager? Why did he always have to be on guard, so cautious, so traumatized by things he couldn't name? It just wasn't right. It just wasn't…

He felt obliged to argue back, to win his friend some of the privilages that he lacked, but was entitled to anyways.

"But… you let Nunnally sing in the choir… and don't you plan on letting her becoming a famous singer? What about you? Why can't you become a mastermind at chess or an internationally acclaimed pianist?" Rivalz demanded. "Why set the double standards?"

His friend finally lowered the book.

"Rivalz…," Lelouch replied gently, "we've been over this. It's just not possible for both of us to have our dreams come true. I have to make sacrifices for Nunn—"

He never finished his sentence because then a huge carrier truck sped up behind them dangerously, threatening to crash into the leisurely driving bike within seconds. The truck gave a huge honk, gaining speed and rushing towards the back of Rivalz's bike like a boulder accelerating towards the bottom of a hill. Rivalz swore loudly, spinning the steering wheel to the left as far as he could take it.

Their bike smoothly averted a collision with the truck, only barely. By then, the truck, most likely trying to avoid the bike, had driven off the freeway and crashed into the parking lot below.

"Holy shit!" Rivalz used the brakes, bringing them to a halt by the edge of the freeway. Both boys scrambled out of their seats (Lelouch did so with more clumsiness, trying not to squish his precious books and dashing forward with a bulky bag).

They surveyed the damage down below. The truck seemed tipped over slightly to the right, against tall steel poles of the abandoned construction site which was just before the parking lot. One of the back wheels was spinning uncontrollably, a pinwheel without wind while smoke was emerging from the back of the truck. Rivalz saw some scattered glass to, and was that some blood on the ground?

"Oh god...," muttered Rivalz, feeling sick. "Is that our fault?"

Lelouch didn't answer, but rather, was running down towards the truck, that bulky bag hanging off of him. He had jumped down when Rivalz wasn't looking (and frankly, Rivalz was surprised that Lelouch hadn't broken his neck in doing so) and was already nearing the back of the truck. Awkwardly, Lelouch began climbing up the metal ladder towards the top of the truck.

"Lelouch! Hey, Lelouch, come back! Let the police deal with this! Don't just leave me here!" Rivalz yelled. If Lelouch got into trouble because of this, the president would never forgive him. Plus, Rivalz couldn't shake off the bad feeling he got from that truck... Why had it been speeding so quickly, so quickly that it would have driven over two teenagers, anyways?

But Lelouch wasn't listening, that, or he couldn't hear Rivalz at all. Rivalz hoped it was the latter, but he knew that the former was just as likely.

 _Damn it_ , thought Rivalz, _I know he can't ignore his principles and all, but one of these days his sentimentality is going to get him killed! I better go help him_. Rivalz noticed the small crowd of onlookers gathered on the other side of the freeway, pointing their cell phones at the crash with interest and gossiping. He wrinkled his nose in disgust. _Geez, one of those guys could learn a thing or two from Lelouch about helping others. At least if_ they _took responsibility and did something, Lelouch wouldn't have to._

He knew it to be partially true... Lelouch would probably stick his neck in regardless of who got involved. That was the annoying part of Lelouch that everyone knew and loved.

 _Let's just hope he accepts the help_ , grumbled Rivalz as he drove his bike down.

By the time Rivalz reached the truck, Lelouch had disappeared. Rivalz noticed that a door was open at the roof and assumed that Lelouch was already inside, checking the injuries of the drivers and would emerge soon. He decided to flip open his cell phone and make a call for an ambulance, since the bystanders up above weren't doing anything useful anyways.

He did not expect a bunch of helicopters to appear just before the horizon or for a news alert to pop up on the window of his phone, warning civilians to stay clear of the streets because of possible terrorists that were speeding through the streets of the Tokyo settlement.

 _...Please be advised that the terrorists have hijacked a delivery truck and have stolen a large amount of poison gas from the military. All civilians are cautioned from coming into contact with them, to avoid unnecessary cross-fire, for the military will shoot the terrorists on sight..._ The message on the phone read.

Rivalz felt as if someone had squeezed his chest and pumped out all air, as soon as he read it. A truck. Speeding. Terrorists. Crossfire. Poison gas.

He jumped out of his bike and ran to the truck, banging on the back, and shouting. The helicopters were getting closer.

"Lelouch! _Lelouch, get out of there!_ Those aren't normal people, those are _terrorists_ , Lelouch—" Rivalz suddenly imagined his friend at gunpoint, bleeding on the floor and felt his fear rise, "Lelouch! Can you hear me? _Get out before_ —"

Suddenly the engine of the truck came to life, a dragon woken from slumber. The wheels sped forth with a speed that terrified Rivalz and the truck lunched back to its proper position before it swerved back, pushing Rivalz onto the ground, and then sped forward, away into the next freeway.

Rivalz barely felt the ringing pain in his knees or the stinging scrapes on his elbows. He stood up quickly and reached for his bike, determined to go after them, only to see that his bike had been knocked over by the truck and the wheels were too damaged to work.

"No! God damn it, this just isn't my day...," Rivalz wondered if god was toying with him. If he ever saw Lelouch alive after this, he would kiss his shoes. Forget it, he'd do a personal dance, as a ballerina, complete with a tutu and sing to the highest heavens above if he ever saw Lelouch alive again. _Don't think like that, you idiot! Think of Lelouch! I have to get help... but who?_

Rivalz saw the helicopters pass him, following the terrorists. Then he saw several police vehicles in pursuit, as well as some military ones, rushing on the freeway.

That was it! He needed to get to one of those vehicles and warn them that a civilian had gotten stuck in the terrorist truck.

Rivalz began to run after the military trucks, hoping to God that someone would listen.

* * *

"Hello?" Lelouch's voice echoed off of the truck's interior, hesitant and worried. "Is anyone there?"

There was no answer.

Lelouch stepped down from the ladder, his bag of books thumping against his leg comfortingly and looked around at his surroundings. For a delivery truck, it was oddly empty, save for a gigantic tank (filled with water or oil, Lelouch supposed) and something bulky, the size of a small car, covered by an old and worn blanket. He briefly wondered what it could be, before he moved forward to the front of the truck.

He needed to check the driver for any injuries and then get him or her out of the vehicle to seek medical treatment. The ambulance would arrive soon, if Lelouch was correct in thinking that Rivalz had already phoned in. He felt a bit guilty for imposing on Rivalz like this, but it wasn't as if he could just let the truck sit there when the people in it could be bleeding to death.

For a brief moment he thought of Nunnally, how long she had bled during the incident, when everything changed. He thought of what would have happened if there had been no one to help but found he couldn't think of it. It was inconceivable, impossible, to even consider what would have happened if no one had come to help.

Just as Lelouch passed by the large water (maybe vegetable oil or gasoline or _something_ ) tank a sharp pain pierced his skull. Lelouch cried out, falling backwards against the metal walls, his bag providing a good cushion.

This pain was like lightning striking at his eyes, making him want to rip them out, anything to prevent the burning. It was like being burned on the inside of his eyelids, trying to claw out a scorpion in his skull. Lelouch writhed in the ground, unaware of the voices, the sounds and the _visions_ flooding his mind.

_It's you, little Prince... It's you... After so many years... but you didn't bring your sister? Shame... I would have enjoyed playing with her again..._

A scream emerged from Lelouch's throat at the sound of the voice, female and mocking. She was enjoying his pain, he could tell. Other than that, nothing existed except for the burning in his eyes...

 _It's all your fault I was captured, little Prince. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't be here... be a dear and open the tank so that I can put my hands against your neck and_ end _you for good!_

"Stop it!" Lelouch yelled, his nails digging into his skin. "Who are you! What do you want?"

 _Oh... you don't remember me? I'_ _m disappointed. This obviously_ his _work... well then, I am—_

Something cold pressed against Lelouch's temple and instantly, the disembodied (sadistic) voice and the pain vanished. The absence of torture made Lelouch's knees collapse beneath him. Still, the cold pressed against him seemed to dig deeper and then, with hands trembling, Lelouch opened his eyes.

At first he saw black. Then he blinked again and saw that it was a black uniform, lined with silver trimming and silver buttons, a uniform he had never seen before. Slowly, Lelouch let his vision rise until he saw that the person wearing the uniform was a hardened Japanese man with dark brown hair. A black visor, not unlike Suzaku's sunglasses, covered the man's eyes while a black cap rested on his head.

Lelouch also realized that the cold pressed against him was the tip of a gun, an assault rifle to be precise, just as black as the uniform.

It was just his luck that Lelouch had just gone from hearing voices in his head to be threatened at gunpoint for the second time in days. Yippee.

"What are you doing here? Is the military here too? They send school boys to do their work?" sneered the man, pushing the tip of the rifle further against Lelouch's temple. There would be a light bruise there tomorrow.

Reverting to an analytical state of mind, Lelouch let his face go blank and kept his voice as neutral as possible. "I have no idea what you are talking about." Yes, keep calm. Speak honestly. This wasn't like Mao, a crazed stalker. This man was sane and sane was hopefully good. "I merely saw the crash and went in to help out any of the injured. I ended up having a migraine out of the blue which is why I collapsed. I have nothing to do with the military."

The man seemed slightly surprised, if the slight loosening of his lips indicated anything. But he didn't lower his guard. In fact, he seemed contemplative of something, and highly paranoid, judging from the rigidness of his body and how he seemed to jump at any little noise in the truck.

There was also blood, dripping down the man's leg... bits of glass embedded in flesh.

"Are you alright?" The words slipped off Lelouch's tongue before he could restrain himself. He was being a moronic idiot again. Oh, let's go ask the gunman if he's feeling alright and then we'll have a cup of tea! Yeah, like that would work. Lelouch wouldn't be surprised if the man started shooting him right now.

"None of your business," the man stiffened. "Now let's—"

"Red," someone said from the front of the truck while Lelouch deduced that Red was just a code name, "we've gotta get moving, Zero is waiting! There's no telling when the Brits will catch up with us! Just tie up the kid and get the Sutherland ready!"

Red gritted his teeth and nodded, "Fine. You have the worst of luck, kid, or maybe the best. Zero-sama," Lelouch felt a chill run down his spine at that name, "will know what to do with you..."

The man tried to grab Lelouch, but the student wasn't about to let him. He ducked quickly and threw his book bag at Red's face. Though his throw lacked brute force, it was enough to temporarily distract Red and for Lelouch to dart towards the ladder.

However the truck's engine began to rumble, leaving the floor of the interior shaky. Lelouch stumbled backwards for just a moment and that moment was enough time for Red to grab Lelouch's arms and prevent any more resistance.

"Unhand me, you—mmph!"

A hand covered his mouth and Lelouch struggled to bite at it. However Red seemed to think of this, as he ripped off a piece of the blanket covering the bulky object behind the ladder and successfully gagged Lelouch.

Then Red bounded Lelouch's hands and feet. It was an easy capture. Lelouch was never the strongest of people and could barely put up a fight against the bulkier man, not that Lelouch just stood there. He put up a brave front, writhing and kicking wherever possible.

The Japanese man threw Lelouch against the water tank and then walked over to the blanketed thing behind the steel ladder. Lelouch's eyes widened, his mouth was also bound so he couldn't say anything, when he saw the Sutherland. As the sounds began to darken, and Lelouch realized that they were most likely going through a tunnel, maybe to the Shinjuku ghetto and the sight of the Sutherland in the hands of this uniformed Japanese clicked in Lelouch's mind, he began to realize that he was stuck in something more dangerous than he could ever have dreamed.

Red noticed Lelouch's startled state and grinned maliciously at him. "Death to Britannia," he said.

Then he opened the Sutherland, the garage door slowly rose at the same time. The sight of pursuing army trucks and helicopters, all shooting down towards them startled Lelouch, made his mind race incoherently—

—The Sutherland moved forward, blasting away as many Britannian vehicles as possible with its firepower.

This wasn't just a random terrorist attack. This was organized rebellion. This was... this was... Lelouch couldn't think any further, because the possibilities were ones he had faced before, possibilities that had resulted in the incident, possibilities that had nearly killed Nunnally.

He couldn't breathe.

* * *

"Your highness, the Lancelot is out of reach. None of our forces has been able to locate it. We fear that it has landed in the hands of the enemy—"

" _Damn it!_ " A vase hit the wall, nearly missing the unfortunate Bismark's head. Prince Clovis surveyed his subject like a deranged man would look at a threat, an obstacle to his sanity. "Is there anything _else_ you'd like to tell me?"

Clovis couldn't even think anymore. He felt his heart in his throat, his ears, his breaths, beating so furiously, so desperately to keep staying alive. Why were things going so wrong? Terrorists were supposed to be mere insects to pick off, not this elaborate or organized or clever, even...

The Lancelot couldn't be gone... what more could go wrong? What else were these terrorists—no, _Zero_ , it had to be Zero, it had to be part of the final gift, the game, the promised murder, the—

"The terrorists that stole the cargo and poison gas have reached the Shinjuku ghetto," no, this wasn't happening, not in a public place, damn it, if his father knew what he was experimenting with, the consequences would be severe, "it's a heavily damaged truck, it may have crashed there. Civilians may see the contents of the cargo if we're not careful—"

The prince spoke his next orders with no remorse in his voice, the result of a desperate man trying to cover his tracks.

"Burn the entire ghetto down."

In shock, Bismark merely stared at him. "I'm sorry... what did you say, your highness?"

Irritation flooded Clovis's mind. Didn't this buffoon comprehend what he had just ordered? It was simple enough, logical enough, for even a child to understand.

"I told you to burn the entire ghetto down! Leave no woman, child or elderly man alive. Kill every person in the ghetto. The contents of the cargo _must not_ be revealed!"

"But your highness, what will we tell—"

God, was this man stupid? Clovis slammed his fist down against the arm piece of his throne, feeling the vibrations rings through his seat, through to the ground. He imagined what it would be like if it was true, the notion of the King's two bodies back in days of old. Back when people believed that the earth was connected to the King, and that when the King was angry, the earth would follow forth with earthquakes and calamities.

It was simple utter garbage, Clovis knew. A King was nothing more than a man with power, and only those with power mattered in this world.

He had to keep his power, keep his control. He couldn't let terrorists (Zero) scare him.

" _Tell them_ that the terrorists released the poison gas on their own kind and that the military bravely defeated them but were too late to prevent the massive genocide. Tell them any lies you need. I just want them all dead before a soul can utter what we have been experimenting with! Do you understand, Bismark?"

The man looked up fearfully at him and gave one firm nod. Then he exited, the order given.

Clovis looked at the chessboard again, at the glass king in his fingers. He thought of the three figures, a beautiful family, that had set sail for this land now called Area 11 and then had drowned at sea. He thought of how much he loved the mother's beauty, the daughter's kindness and the eyes of that son, that boy who played chess with him.

He thought of how he was conducting his revenge against this land for taking away those precious to him.

He thought of Zero. And he thought of who Zero might be. But there was no name. Only nothing. Nothing but an order to kill and the threat of being killed.

* * *

They arrived right on time, in the forest, just as Zero had asked. When both Knightmares landed on the grass, the pilots opened their cockpits and stepped outside, seeing their leader standing with a few of their other fellow black knights, under the trees. Beyond the forest was the dingy Shinjuku ghetto, a place Suzaku made sure to avoid, now that he lived with Lelouch. The Shinjuku ghetto tended to bring bad memories back to mind.

"Greetings and congratulations on a successful mission," Zero said to Kallen and Suzaku, both of whom gobbled up the praise like thirsty children, though they hid their smugness under blank masks. "We can proceed with the second phase of the plan as soon as Red and Blue return to us. Ohgi-kun," there wasn't any need for code names now that they were with Zero, "have you received word from them yet?"

"No, Zero," the man shook his head. "The last I heard from them, they were still on the freeway, trying to shake off the military. Red went out to act as a diversion but Blue still hasn't answered any more of my messages. I think they also caught a civilian who accidentally got involved in this..."

"A civilian?" Zero mused. "Not a Britannia spy?"

Ohgi shook his head. "They said that it was a school kid, from Ashford. He thought that their truck had crashed and was going to help but instead got caught up and..."

He was in the wrong place at the wrong time, Suzaku concluded. That was awfully stupid of the Brit. He didn't waste any sympathy for him. Zero would think of something suitable for the school boy. Perhaps they'd use him in their plans or dump him in the middle of the city and let him go. It wasn't as if the boy knew their faces. To him, it would just be a very terrifying experience with big bad Elevens.

Suzaku wrinkled his nose in disdain, but continued to listen to what Zero had to say.

Their leader was quiet for a while and then he said, "I would like to see this boy. We must make sure that Red and Blue did not slip in any knowledge that might incriminate us. Afterwards, I will decide what is to become of him. For now, we focus on the plan—"

"This is bad!"

Everyone jumped, turning to the panicked Diethard who emerged from the trailer parked nearby. Diethard paused just a moment to look admiringly at the Lancelot and then at Zero, before he informed them of the latest news.

"Prince Clovis has just issued an order to kill all the civilians in the Shinjuku ghetto. He wants to prevent anyone from seeing the contents of his cargo. What should we do, Zero-sama?"

All of the black knights burst into a panic, shouting in protest and speaking against Clovis vehemently.

"Silence!" Zero raised a hand. His mere presence was enough to calm them all and they looked eagerly to him for instruction.

Zero began to speak. "Clearly Red and Blue have been compromised in their mission. If I am correct, they must be stranded in the ghetto and if we don't move out, they will be killed along with many innocent Japanese men and women.

"I will divide you all into two groups—Ace and Knight will go retrieve Red and Blue, as well as the cargo while the rest of you will fight against the Britannian military and try to save as many civilians as you can. Bring them to the forest, anywhere that isn't the ghetto.

"As for me, I will proceed with the second phase of the plan on my own. You will know your next instructions through our com links. I will give another order when the time is right.

"Prince Clovis thinks that he can stand against us with weapons of murder and genocide but he is wrong. We are the face, the knights of justice and we will condemn all tyranny in Japan! Today will be the day that the whole world knows the existence, the power and righteousness of the Black Knights!"

His speech was finished with a dramatic arm wave to the left and the Black Knights emerged in cheers. "Yes Zero!"

"Come on, Suzaku, let's go get Red and Blue," Kallen said.

He nodded. It was time to show those Britannians what happened when you messed with Japan.

 _I shouldn'_ _t have to tell you this, Suzaku,_ Lelouch's voice echoed in his mind, causing a pang in his heart, causing his hard mask to falter, even just for a moment (Was Lelouch ok? Was he still upset from this morning? Why had he left without saying anything about it to Suzaku?), _but it seems you've forgotten. If there's anyone or anything to blame for what's happened to you… to Japan… its Britannia._

He clenched his fists and pulled out another cigarette. He looked at the other uniform that Zero wanted him to wear, one that was white, one that Zero said would speak volumes about Suzaku's role for the Black Knights, one that came with a helmet, one that reminded him of a Knight...

 _I will,_ Suzaku answered in his mind. _I'll a knight that will dispose of Britannia and make things right...and the royal family, since I won't get the chance to exact vengeance on those siblings..., they'll have to take their place._

The cigerette stub fell, still sparking with hints of flame. _  
_

* * *

He couldn't breathe.

Images flashed through Lelouch's mind—the fire, the sick pleasure, the blood, Nunnally, the _fire_ , and ominous eyes so akin to his own, yet so cruel and malicious—he felt all air flow out of him, like he was a balloon sagging emptily and his heart was now trying to leap out of his chest. The memories, all of them, bombarded him until he was nothing, just a body lying on the floor of the truck, barely aware.

_Nunnally is going to be hurt again, all because of me, this is because I wanted to stand up to the Emperor, because I believed that I could, by myself, change the world just for her and—_

_Stop it. Calm down. Nunnally_ is not _here and you are not responsible for this!_ A voice that sounded oddly like Suzaku said. Lelouch found it comforting and slowed his breathing accordingly. Alright, talking to the voices in his head was fine, as long as he didn't answer back. _Alright Lelouch, think of a way out of this... think, darn it..._

The entire truck rocketed forth and Lelouch was thrown against the water tank with a bang while the water tank clunked against the metal walls. The driver, within the truck screamed and then it was silent. Lelouch breathed quietly, almost afraid to ask or wonder what had happened. Several heartbeats passed and nothing passed save for the quiet droplets of water from nearby pipes. Lelouch suspected that they had crashed into a building with faulty plumping, but that was all he could discern thus far.

He feared momentarily that the driver had died and he would be left stranded here, tied up, to die but set aside the fear quickly. He needed to think of a way to untie his hands and feet if the driver was out...

With that, Lelouch shifted his body over, flopping in elegantly to the ground. Then he rolled to the side of the water tank. There was a platform holding it up, with a sharp corner that Lelouch could use to cut his ropes if he was able to get the angle right.

Struggling to get up, Lelouch managed to raise his body so that he was kneeling and shifted his tied wrists to the corner. Then he moved his wrists are far apart as possible and set the rope on the sharp edge of the corner and began to scrape it furiously against the corner, determined to cut apart one of the ropes so that he could be free to untie his legs.

There was a groan from the front and Lelouch almost paused in his crude attempt to cut his ropes. Instead, he sped up his attempts to cut apart the ties. There was no way of knowing if Red's accomplice would be more or less merciful than his counterpart.

"Ah... my legs..." Lelouch heard Red's partner say.

Not good, if Red's partner was injured and immobile the chances of getting out of here would lessen. Then again, assuming that Lelouch could escape by himself, would he take Red's partner too or leave him there? An injured person would slow Lelouch down... but he couldn't just leave the man there, it wasn't as if he had tried to kill Lelouch.

Lelouch kept his lips clamped shut, feeling his wrists loosen further the more he pushed the ropes against the sharp edge. Just a little more and he would be free...

There! Raising his bruised wrists up, Lelouch winced at the purple lining them. It wouldn't be easy to play piano after this... Sayoko and Jeremiah were going to kill him when he came home tonight...

At least he could spit out this nasty rag. It tasted like something rotten that Lelouch didn't wish to know the description of.

He began to shuffle with the ropes around his ankles (damn that Red for making such tight knots) but he was getting nowhere. His fingers didn't have any strength to pull apart the ropes. They felt as useless as water, merely flowing past the rope, unable to shift them at all.

Lelouch let out a hiss of annoyance.

Red's partner heard him and said, "Hey you! Britannian kid, you're still here?"

 _Congratulations,_ thought Lelouch, _you're aware of your surroundings._

"Of course I am still here. Your partner took the liberty of tying me up so that I can't run off to the authorities," Lelouch adopted a commanding voice. He would not show fear or weakness in front of, well, whoever these people were.

"...Huh, you'd think he'd gag you too."

"I _was_ gagged, for your information, and it was _bloody_ awful!"

" _Sh!_ Shut up for a second, I hear something!"

There was the sound of marching feet, coming towards the vehicle and echoing in the walls. Lelouch was becoming more and more convinced that they had ended up underground, maybe even the Shinjuku ghetto. By the organized, yet fast, steps, Lelouch wondered if soldiers were coming... and why.

"Shit. The military is here... I can't let them take the cargo... looks like I'll have to take drastic measures," muttered the driver from the front. "Sorry kid, looks like this is your last day alive."

_What?_

"Wait, what are you doing? You're not going to hold me hostage or anything are you?" Lelouch asked furiously. He began to move his fingers forward, pulling his body to the farthest exit as possible, the back door. Wait, it was closed. _Damn it_ , where was the switch to open the _damn_ door?

Suddenly it didn't quite matter anymore. The truck doors were thrown open, illuminating the shadows of several soldiers, aligned like chess pieces. They swarmed the insides of the truck, seconds later, pointing their weapons towards Lelouch.

It was the third time that week Lelouch had been threatened at gunpoint and this time he couldn't bring it in himself to feel afraid.

 _I'm going to die here,_ Lelouch realized, seeing the way the soldiers tensed as they saw him, a civilian, tied by the ankles in the truck, their fingers ready to fire nevertheless. A standard order had been given, and no matter what, it had to be followed.

He thought of three things before they fired at him, before Red's driver flipped a switch for a suicide bombing which would kill them all anyways, before his heart stopped beating...

(There was his mother, burning on the ship, while he swore revenge. There was Nunnally, broken in her own blood, while he made a promise never to stray to that dark path again. And then there was a cup of coffee in the morning, warm arms and a pair of green eyes, a voice condemning Britannia ( _those Britannian siblings_ ) and that ridiculous smile... _Suzaku...)_

 _ **Damn it all,**_ screamed the disembodied voice from earlier, _**don't think that I will let anyone other than me have the pleasure of killing you, little Prince!**_

Red's partner flipped the switch for the suicide bomb.

But it wasn't the bomb that exploded.

The water tank did.

Lelouch gasped as liquid flew out and splashed over the soldiers. In surprise the soldiers backed away and accidentally let go of the trigger. Gunshots echoed in the truck, speeding towards Lelouch at the speed of light and before Lelouch could blink, the truck exploded at the same time.

The rest was a blur. Lelouch saw bits of colour—like red, like blood—and felt everything spinning uncontrollably. There were muffled screams, probably the soldiers, dying. There was him, in so much pain that Lelouch was sure he had to be dead, or at least in hell.

And when Lelouch next looked up, he was sitting in a wasteland. The scrap metal that had used to be the truck surrounded him like the carcasses of extinct mammoths, rips protruding from the blown earth. Mangled pieces of limbs lay off to the side, making the Britannian student want to retch on the spot. They were unrecognizable, except for a few stray fingers and distorted uniforms. The bomb had killed them all, stranding him in a large abandoned factory, filled with dripping pipes.

But how had Lelouch lived?

Something moved from behind him, something that picked him up by the neck, making Lelouch writhe in its grasp. It was something that intended to watch him gasp for air as it strangled him.

And it was a little girl, dressed in a white suit like a straightjacket, and long flowing locks, familiar locks of hair. She looked at Lelouch with sadistic pleasure and longing and hatred all rolled in one.

He blinked away stray tears and tried to pry off the fingers, his mind racing and then he truly looked at the girl's face.

Lelouch let go, hands trembling.

"No... you... you can't be... _Nunnally?_ But—"

Her grip on his neck tightened terribly, blocking his lungs.

"Oh no, you're mistaken, little Prince. I'm _Nemo_ (2) and I'm going to kill you today, and then I'll kill your little sister too."

The Nunnally doppelganger threw him to the ground, her bangs lifting up dangerously for Lelouch to glimpse a tattoo in the shape of a V on her forehead.

Then she stabbed him.

* * *

" _Shit! Knight, don't look now but I think Blue might have blown himself up!"_

They both saw the explosion in the east of the Shinjuku ghetto. Soldiers were swarming the entire area, killing off men, women and children in broad daylight. The streets were littered with shot corpses, flooded with the blood of victims. Even though it was happening right in front of their eyes, even though it was _real_ , Suzaku knew that the government would cover it up, pretend it had never happened. And the rest of Britannia's Area 11, the population of Brits, they'd keep on living as if it never had.

He hated that.

He hated them, most of all, all of those ignorant people.

( _Why don't you all see?)_

Judging from the smoke and height of the explosion it was caused by one of Rakshata's bombs... only to be used when there was no other option but to choose death. They couldn't risk the enemy finding out confidential information about the Black Knights or about their missions.

Blue had flipped on the switch. He was dead.

" _What do we do now? Zero needed the cargo—"_

"I'll go to the site of the explosion and check for any survivors. Maybe the cargo was undamaged, maybe... You go help the others execute those Brits. I'll radio back if there's nothing left."

Kallen understood. There was no need for the two of them to recover both Blue and the cargo if Blue was dead. But the cargo might have survived. They didn't know what the cargo was exactly, but it could have been kept in a bomb-proof container of some sort.

Suzaku flew forward in the Lancelot, ignoring the impulse to sweep down upon the Sutherlands and soldiers, to shoot them all to kingdom come. There was the mission to think of, the bigger picture, the greater good. He had to trust his teammates to defend the civilians in the ghetto. They would make the Brit soldiers pay.

Flying in the Lancelot was liberating, it made him feel as if the dream was coming to life—the Black Knights Uniforms, the successful mission, Zero—soon, he could take revenge against Britannia for everything they had taken from him.

_If there's anyone or anything to blame for what's happened to you… to Japan… its Britannia._

Yes, Britannia.

He was at the site of the explosion, the old factory was blown apart, unrecognizable. He wondered if this was what angels felt like when they looked down on the world and saw only destruction, as he saw the remnants of Blue's sacrifice. There were bodies of Brit soldiers (good for Blue) and signs of the truck that had once been there... but he saw no other signs of the cargo.

And then he saw something that made his heart stop, made him drop all thoughts of Britannia and seeking vengeance all together.

There was a little girl, drenched in water, holding up a familiar figure by the neck, intending to strangle him. The figure was a slender one, wearing the Ashford Uniform that Suzaku knew all too well (no... it couldn't be true; he didn't want _him_ to get involved...)

Then the girl threw the student to the ground, as if he was a ragdoll. Her hands grabbed on to a stray piece of the truck, a jagged piece of metal. She lifted it up, like a priestess intending to sacrifice a lamb...

Suzaku lost all control. His body shut down, taking control of the Lancelot, like it was a second body to him.

" _Don't you DARE touch Lelouch!"_

* * *

The teacup shattered on the floor while trembling fingers strayed to her sides in attempt to give comfort.

Alice was at her side before Nunnally could say another word. There was always a floral scent that accompanied her friend and the silent, yet not so silent way, she walked which told Nunnally that she was near. Her friend was always like that, attentive, ever her shadow rather than a best friend, like her other half.

As expected, Alice had her hands wrapped around Nunnally's shaking ones, to cradle against her lips.

"Are you alright? What's wrong?"

Nunnally shook her head, unable to put what she was feeling to words. How could you describe this sense of foreboding? An ominous wave of emotion which screamed that something horrible was going to happen and that this moment was the catalyst?

It was a twinge, like an extension of herself had just been severed and Nunnally wasn't sure how to describe it but she suddenly felt like talking to her brother for reassurance, just to know that someone was there.

"It's probably nothing, Alice," Nunnally smiled; though she had a feeling it wouldn't reassure her friend at all. "I just felt a bit dizzy... It's nothing, I'm not sick... just..."

Worried? Overwhelmed? _Afraid_? But that was silly. What was there to be afraid of anymore?

Her brother was fine. Suzaku would protect him.

"It's a promise after all...," the girl whispered quietly.

"What was that?" Alice asked, still worried for her health.

The girl smiled again. "Nothing."

Suzaku Kururugi would keep his promise. Nunnally was going to make sure of it.

* * *

Walk On In

Extra Scene (Takes place after Chapter 6)

* * *

It was late, but Lelouch hadn't gone to sleep yet, which was odd in itself. Normally Lelouch turned in by ten on a Sunday night, to prepare for school. Instead, he stared blankly at the ceiling, lying motionlessly on the bed. The blanket barely provided any warmth that night. He might as well have been sleeping under a piece of cardboard.

Beside him, Suzaku's soft snores filled the oppressive quiet and gave a slight comfort, rather than annoyance—not that he'd ever tell him that.

He had been distant with Suzaku after that conversation, the one about the siblings. He just couldn't get rid of the echo of those words or how they made him feel... Lelouch felt as if someone had suddenly injected him full of confusing and crushing feelings without any manual or guide to accompany them. God, how was he supposed to sort through this... this... agony?

Having Suzaku lying next to him with a quiet torture in itself, making him feel as if ants were crawling under his skin and he didn't know why. He couldn't sleep either, because he felt something was absent.

Stupid, stupid Suzaku.

And stupid, stupid Lelouch.

He rolled over to his side, watching Suzaku as he slept, wishing he could just walk away from this and leave it all behind, to give in to the urge to push Suzaku away and never look back.

Instead, Lelouch closed his eyes and moved closer to Suzaku. The warmth of the other permeated the cold absence he had felt before.

Suzaku shifted in his sleep again, and put his arms around Lelouch's waist, as if they had always been there.

Lelouch bit back the instinct to struggle away, as he normally did, when this happened.

 _Tomorrow_ , thought Lelouch as he drifted to sleep _, tomorrow I'll think about this. Just for this moment... I'll let him hold me._

And he slept; unaware of his own arms embracing the biker in return.


	9. Chapter 8: Knight

To be fair, Lelouch had had enough [training](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5321256/9/Walk_On_In) instilled in him from Sayoko (dodge ball practise was good for something at least) that he could escape the first draw of Nemo's metal shard. The adrenaline pumping in his veins, let Lelouch push himself back further as the little girl snarled forward, like a sea monster whose tentacles swirled eagerly towards its next meal.

Lelouch scrambled to his feet, still greatly confused and distraught, but with enough sense to run as far away as possible in the other direction. Screw his stamina, he would run until his lungs collapsed and his [body](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5321256/9/Walk_On_In) shut down before he looked back now.

Nemo was just faster, inhumanely so.

 _(Nemo_. The name meant nothing to him. _Nemo...)_

There was literally a white blur that passed by him before Lelouch was thrown back on the ground, welcoming the full body sting which was becoming a regular occurrence today and Nemo pinned him to the ground by the throat. She raised her [hand](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5321256/9/Walk_On_In), the metal shard from the blown truck shining, as if anticipating its future drink.

Lelouch struggled in his hold, opening his lips several times, to try and shout. But Nemo's blood red eyes, shining with insanity, glowed. She opened her lips, perhaps to laugh or to say _something_ before she began to giggle.

Then the metal plunged into Lelouch's side.

( _Hello Little Prince,_ the pain seemed to say, _after you die for me, would you like to[accept](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5321256/9/Walk_On_In) my code?_ )

He screamed, and in that moment, wondered if blood would rush out of his mouth, like a fountain, if he screamed for long enough, like Lavinia from Shakespeare's _Titus Andronicus_ , her tongue cut for a river of blood.

Laughter echoed around him, surrounding him and his screams as an accompaniment to the concerto of torture. Lelouch wondered if this was the music, the horrible music, which devils played in the depths of Hell. He wondered if they danced with glee when their victims sung (screamed) the right tones, if they laughed because the duet of sadist and victim would feel empty without it.

It felt to Lelouch that the blade was pain solidified, not only digging in the flesh between his ribs, but rushing towards the very tips of his fingers and toes, till even his eyes felt as if they were on fire. He did not bite back his screams. The pain insisted on overflowing through his mouth. If he did not let his voice run hoarse, he felt that the pain would burst within him, tearing him into pieces.

Images entered his mind, flashing like distorted film, meaningless to him. There were images of bodies, all lined in glass tubes, suspended in liquid while an ominous figure stood before them. There were images of a symbol, a letter V, blinking in his mind like warning lights, lights to tell children to stay away from the intersection, or you would be hit. There were other screams, screams of ageless things, things that Lelouch couldn't name but he had a feeling that they were what had _been_ , and what would _be_.

After a while, what seemed light years in space and time, the images stopped, and Lelouch only knew a name, a name which kept chanting in his mind.

( _Nemo, Nemo, Nemo…_ it whispered. _Don't you remember, little Prince?)_

His other senses were left untouched. What need did he have for eyes when all he could do was _feel_? The flashes of pleased red eyes, dipped in poisonous sadism accompanied by awful and dissonant laughter, as musically unpleasant as diminished sevenths, echoed in the hollow crevices of his skull. But it meant nothing to him, the other presence.

He only knew how to scream while pictures of Vs and whispered of _Nemo_ caressed his eyes and ears.

Beside him, the petite girl with long blonde curls and a startling resemblance to his dear sister, watched as warm liquid flowed down her hands, staining her white suit in crimson. She was shaking uncontrollably, so much so that one could have thought she was laughing, as all villains do, at her victim's torture.

And she _was_ laughing, laughing madly, as a thirsty soul would laugh when finally granted with one drop of water.

But there were tears too; tears streaking down her cheeks, like small little hands trying to wash away the crimson of her sins.

Lelouch screamed… and Nemo's hoarse laughter sank into hysterical sobs.

" _I'm sorry, Little Prince… I'm sorry…I've cursed you with our fates now…_ "

Then the shadow of a white Knightmare descended upon them both.

**Walk On In**

**-8- Knight**

Rivalz jumped out in front of the first military vehicle that crossed his path when he approached the busy free way. The vehicles whisked by, like blades ready to tear any human being into pieces if they dared to cross, any sane human beings. But Rivalz had abandoned all notions of sanity the minute he had run after Lelouch with this crazy plan in mind.

It didn't occur to Rivalz for a minute that the military might not listen to a mere Britannian student or that he might die if an army truck didn't stop. Only fear motivated him, a fear which whispered that Lelouch could be tied up and shot any moment, that the terrorists could use him as a hostage, that Lelouch could be one second closer to death every time Rivalz loitered.

" _Stop!_ "

He made his decision within one single heart beat and watched as the military truck rushed towards him. Like an avalanche, Rivalz suddenly knew, it would not stop, would not be able to stop if it wanted to, not at this speed. His sense of self-preservation screamed at him get out of the way before he was hit. But still his feet did not move. Rivalz spread out his arms wide and faced the looming headlights and for the longest three seconds of his life, he did not breathe, he did not move or flinch. He swore that his heart did not beat.

Impossibly, at the last moment, the military truck screeched to a noisy halt, a quarter of an inch from Rivalz's chest. His lungs relaxed as Rivalz gladly breathed in air. Around him, the other military vehicles continued to wheeze by, mere wisps of air compared to his main focus.

The driver of the vehicle, a frazzled woman with blue hair and in a pilot suit, pulled down her window and called out, "You are blocking the road. There is currently a situation in national security. Please move out of the way or we will have no choice but to use force."

But Rivalz wasn't listening. Seeing that he had the driver's attention, he ran up to the driver's window and blurted out, "My friend's been kidnapped by the terrorists. You have to save him or he'll die!"

The woman's eyes widened before they narrowed, "If this is a prank then—"

"Of course it's not a prank! Why would anyone joke about shit like this?" Rivalz yelled. "Tell your soldiers that the terrorists have a hostage! Every minute we waste, Lelouch could be killed at any time!"

She seemed conflicted but before anyone else could speak, another voice joined in. One of the passengers in the truck, hidden from Rivalz's view asked cautiously, "…Lelouch…? You don't mean Lelouch Lamperouge, do you? He attends Ashford academy, just like you…"

Never had Rivalz felt so relieved for his black and gold uniform. Next time he saw Milly's grandfather, he was going to worship the man for a week and then loudly proclaim the glory of uniforms for the rest of his life. No more complaining about what a pain it was not to have casual wear again.

"Yes! That's him—wait," he frowned, instantly on guard, "how do you know who Lelouch is?"

He could count all of Lelouch's acquaintances on his fingers and toes. Lelouch didn't go out much, so his social relationships were limited to work at Pizza House, Ashford Academy, the coffee shop he frequented, the church, where Rivalz took him gambling and the Lamperouge Household. Rivalz didn't recognize this man, nor did he sound as if he fit the description of any of Lelouch's friends at the coffee shop (they were all Elevens, while this man, was clearly not).

This man couldn't be one of the people that Lelouch and Nunnally were trying to avoid, could he? There had been previous incidents where strange people had tried to go after Lelouch (Rivalz suspected they were mere stalkers) and then he and Milly had had to beat them up (in Milly's case, there had been emotional scarring). No one shown up from Lelouch's past yet… but Rivalz was always paranoid that some day someone would… It was only a matter of time.

"Whoever you are, you better not hurt him," Rivalz scowled irrationally, rising up his fists just in case, "or you'll have to answer to me and the rest of the Ashford student council.

Whatever he had been expecting, amused chuckles had not been it. Slowly the door clicked open. Rivalz tensed, readying himself to defend his friend if necessary. But what he saw surprised him too much. The man that stepped out dressed in elaborate silk robes with swirled designs on the collars and outer layers. Ruffles were sewn at the arm cuffs and neck collar, while an expensive medallion hung around the men's neck. Rings adorned each finger, glittering amethyst, onyx and topaz.

The man smirked in a familiar way and had the same calculating edge that Rivalz sometimes saw in Lelouch when he played chess. He also had the same pale skin, though not as smooth looking as Lelouch's. But the man's eyes were slightly colder than Lelouch's save for the degree of worry Rivalz saw there, a worry which could only be for one person…

"Hello Rivalz Cardemonde," said Prince Schneizel pleasantly, though his grim smile said otherwise. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance at last. My younger brother has told me so much about you and your student council… Now," he paused before his eyes darkened, "what was that you mentioned concerning him with _terrorists_?"

To Rivalz's credit, he did not faint. But he did lose all powers of speech for several costly minutes at the word 'brother.'

* * *

There was no hesitation when Suzaku had the Lancelot pull out one of its slash harkens and he made the Lancelot slash down at the little girl who had dared to hurt Lelouch. He pictured the Lancelot as an extension of himself; he pictured himself as the one who had the physical pleasure of ending the one who had tried to kill that boy.

The blade fell upon the little girl, lightning on the devil, but it did not hit her. Suzaku looked up, scowling, as he saw a blur to his right before the little girl appeared at the edge of the blown up warehouse, holding a screaming Lelouch in her arms.

He was momentarily stunned, wondering if he had just suffered a hallucination. The girl had been in front of him only a few moments ago. How could she have run twenty meters away from him in such a small time frame?

Suzaku moved the Lancelot again, determined to catch the girl in the mechanical arm's grasp and watch her collapse under the slash harpen. This time he made sure to keep his arms ready, in case he needed to switch his directions to block the girl's path. He would not be caught off guard by a blur again.

"Take this!" Suzaku shouted, pushing the lever which forced the Lancelot's right arm down upon the girl's head, the slash harken making a colourful swipe at her.

He felt the tremors in the ground when the blade smashed into the concrete, forcing apart gravel and cement. The cluttered rubble fell by the Lancelot's sides, a rain of destruction and Suzaku lifted his head, scanning around for any sign of the girl's corpse.

It wasn't there. He had missed the girl again.

Suzaku swore loudly and turned the Lancelot around, spotting the girl racing on the rooftops of the apartment buildings behind him. She moved like a rocket, her legs almost invisible to Suzaku's eyes. He blinked several times to make sure that he wasn't imagining things.

It was true.

This girl moved in a blink of an eye… it wasn't possible. But then again, Suzaku had seen impossible when Zero had shown him C.C.'s power and when he had fought against V.V., only to realize that the pale blond midget had psychic powers that could destroy a normal human being within seconds. _This girl is just like them_ , thought Suzaku. A slight fear gripped him, as fear often gripped humans when they faced the unknown.

But then he saw the trail of deep crimson, dripping from Lelouch's side and a hot cold fury swept through his entire body. Suzaku saw red, all fear erased. It didn't matter what sort of freak of nature she was. Soon she would be dead; Suzaku would make sure of it.

He moved the Lancelot towards the girl again, wanting to scare her off so that maybe she'd drop Lelouch and give him a chance to slice her to pieces. She moved like a sunbeam, almost invisible to his sight save for the white blur on his screen, running towards the outskirts of destroyed warehouse.

But Suzaku's reaction time was faster than any supernaturally powered being. Perhaps before he had been caught off guard but now that he knew her capabilities, he could accurately judge the best way to approach. The Lancelot's arm fell in front of the girl's path, slamming like the hammer of Thor and knocking her to her feet.

She fell, sprawled against the ground, her blonde locks trailing behind as a curtain to her demise while Lelouch laid limp a few metres from her. The stain on his Ashford uniform was beginning to darken to pure black, bleeding red against the pavement.

Suzaku didn't hesitate, didn't feel anything. He only saw the red, only felt the need to snuff out the girl's life... and it was gone in that one silent second.

The girl's eyes were blood red, much like crimson pooling around her.

She looked at Suzaku, at the Lancelot's eerie blank eyes and (to Suzaku's surprise) smiled coldly at him. "Can you save him?" she mouthed the words.

For a moment, Suzaku wasn't sure what she meant. He almost dismissed it in his apathetic state (the only things that mattered to him at the moment were Lelouch's safety and this girl's death. All else meant nothing… absolutely nothing) but then he blinked and the girl was gone.

His heart skipped a beat, clenched in a fist of absolute terror.

"Lelouch!" Suzaku shouted, though he knew the girl could not hear him from within the cockpit, neither could the Britannian boy whose very life was on the precipice of reality and death.

The Lancelot swerved around, giving Suzaku a view of where he had seen Lelouch fall. The girl was there, smirking sadistically while she wrapped her arms around Lelouch's shoulders, leaning her cheek against the other boy's almost tenderly.

But to Suzaku, it looked only as if the girl was mocking his very ability to destroy her.

The wave of irrational fury, a vision of red, took over his senses once more. " _Get away from him_!" Suzaku spat, his Lancelot responding to his erratic anger like a loyal shadow.

Its arm rushed wildly towards the girl, trying to hit her once more. But she was gone again, just like that and Suzaku could only feel more annoyance, more anger and frustration rushing in. He had one of the most capable and efficient Knightmares even to be created and yet he couldn't even kill one little girl, one dangerous freak of a girl…

It was like trying to swat a fly with a swatter, knowing that the swatter was too slow to catch such a small and quick target. It was almost impossible.

She was behind him again, carrying Lelouch in her arms; purposefully digging her fingers (with a sickening squelch that Suzaku couldn't hear, but could so very much imagine) in the place of Lelouch's wound to widen it. Blood trailed down her fingers in little trails, decorating her pale skin in thick red threads. She smiled again, listening to the cacophony of Lelouch's screams.

He wanted very much to charge at her again but knew that it would change nothing. If he couldn't attack her with the Lancelot before, he wouldn't be able to know. Suzaku needed to change his strategy somehow and trap the girl. Time was running out… the longer he spent battling her, the more blood Lelouch lost…

The girl stared at him, her smile taunting. He felt his blood boil.

Suzaku had the Lancelot pull out one of its pistols. He pointed it at the girl and began to shoot wildly all around her, watching as the buildings collapsed into rubble. The girl fell, the rubble surrounding her in a circle of chaos. For a moment, she was blinded by the clouds of dust and the sounds of destruction.

Suzaku rushed forward in the Lancelot, reaching out the mechanical arm to try and pry the girl and Lelouch apart. He only hoped that he wouldn't hurt Lelouch anymore than necessary and that this would finally kill the girl.

His target anticipated his movement, even in her confusion. She jumped up and dashed away up on top of the uneven piles of broken walls and concrete, Lelouch like a rag doll in her arms. Suzaku gave chase; the pistol still held in the Lancelot's other hand. He fired up ahead of her path and around her, relying on his previous strategy to slow her down.

It wasn't working.

And Suzaku was running out of ideas to combat against this inhumanely fast girl.

"God damn it, just _die_ already!" Suzaku spat again. "Give back Lelouch!"

She was mocking him again, Suzaku could feel it. The girl smiled coyly at him again and lifted up one of her hands to lick off the trails of Lelouch's blood. Her own red eyes seemed to glow eerily and Suzaku felt the apprehension he had felt earlier return. What the hell was this girl and why was she after Lelouch in the first place?

He pointed the Lancelot's pistol at her again though he knew it was in vain. There wasn't much else he could do, unless he could destroy the entire block in an attempt to crush her. But that could easily kill Lelouch as well and Suzaku wasn't going to take that risk.

He let the Lancelot squeeze the trigger. With a loud bang, he sent the blast towards the girl, preparing for the disappointment when it didn't hit her.

* * *

Lelouch regained his grip on reality not long after the first few blasts of gunfire around him. He dimly noted that the loud noises and bits of dust flying into his face meant that he was either being attacked or close to gunfire.

His screaming had stopped for a while now, enough for Lelouch to try and gain a sense of where he was. The pain was still present, but was now a dull reminder that he was alive rather than insane. He was aware that someone was carrying him, at extremely fast speeds, somewhere and that the gunfire was continuing.

He opened his eyes, masking his shock when he saw the girl ( _Nemo_ , the voices were whispering again, cruel and mocking. _Nemo. Don't you remember her, Little Prince?_ ) who looked so much like Nunnally. She was the one carrying him. It seemed that she was running from the blasts. Once Lelouch craned his neck upwards, ignoring the stab of pain jolting within him and the blood running down his sides, he saw a flicker of white.

There was a Knightmare pursuing them, a white model that Lelouch had not seen before. It was likely one of the newer frames in the military though Lelouch had to wonder why it was here. Perhaps it was one of the frames that were after the terrorist truck earlier and was now trying to retrieve the girl. Lelouch wasn't sure. His head was spinning and everything felt too dizzy for him to reach a proper conclusion.

He needed to escape quickly before he lost the ability to think again.

Even when he wasn't in the right state of mind, Lelouch could tell who the greater danger was. Between the unknown Britannian Knightmare and this girl Nemo, Lelouch was willing to bet his life on the Knightmare. He would rather risk the exposure of his identity than his sanity.

The next move was simple.

Lelouch reached up with all of his remaining strength (fighting the dizziness, the urge to close his eyes again and just _sleep_ ) and he hit the girl in the eyes, blinding her.

Nemo hissed loudly, pausing in mid-step.

It was only a moment's hesitation, but it was enough for Lelouch to shove himself away from her hold, pushing her to the ground. He stumbled away, holding his wound with his arm and trying to limp as quickly as possible away from her.

Nemo snarled, blinking away tears (his fingers had actually hit her very hard, surprisingly enough) as she moved forward to pull him towards her again.

That was all of the time needed for the white Knightmare to descend with its pistol and shoot the girl straight through the heart, right in front of Lelouch.

He felt himself freeze, eyes locked with Nemo's, unable to look away.

Dribbles of red fell from her mouth. She blinked slowly, like a newborn breaking from sleep and whispered one last time to him.

"…Little Prince…sorry…"

And she fell.

Lelouch collapsed upon his knees in shock. Then he began to see harsh visions of the symbol V ( _Do you remember, Little Prince? Do you remember what you did?_ ) flicker in front of his eyes like a distorted film and the voices returned with a vengeance. ( _Nemo_. They whispered once more… _Nemo_ and another name, a name that used to belong to _him_ …)

For what seemed like the millionth time, Lelouch screamed.

* * *

Suzaku had taken the girl's hesitation as a chance to shoot her. He quietly thanked Lelouch for forcing the girl into a position where she was stationary for more than three seconds, just enough for Suzaku to finish her for good.

He watched with satisfaction when she lay bleeding on the ground, unforgiving of anyone who dared to put a violent hand on Lelouch.

_It's what she deserves._

The Lancelot hovered over her body and Suzaku stared down at her almost obsessively, waiting until the moment she took her last breath, almost to confirm that he had successfully slain the enemy. The girl whispered something towards Lelouch's direction, something that Suzaku could neither see mouthed nor hear.

Then she turned her head towards Suzaku (knowingly, like she knew he was watching, waiting) and she mouthed to him with a bitter (and oddly satisfied) smile.

"Looks like Zero won't be able to collect all of the geasses now, Mr. White Knight…"

His jaw slacked. Questions rushed inside his brain, threatening to burst from his lips but before he could say or do anything more, the girl's body was engulfed in a white light.

There was a strange lettering on her forehead that also glowed, but in a bright red. She seemed to float, only a few inches off the battered ground and then the light fluctuated and burned brighter.

Off to the side, Lelouch cried out so hoarsely, the instant that the lettering on the girl's forehead shone crimson, that Suzaku felt he could have died as well. He wanted to rush over to Lelouch's side, scoop up the boy in his arms and nurse him back to health.

But for some reason, he couldn't tear his eyes away from the girl. It felt important that Suzaku watch, that he _had_ to watch because something inside him warned that this would be important information that could help Lelouch later on. He wasn't sure why he thought so. But Suzaku wasn't about to question his instincts.

Then the girl's body fell limp, her eyes went blank and most frightening of all… her body _disintegrated_ into little bits of red, gone.

He stood in shock, the Lancelot hovering motionlessly above the spot where the body used to be. It wasn't there anymore, as if Suzaku really had imagined the struggle, the girl and the blood. As if there was no such thing as strange beings with inexplicable powers, no such thing as people like V.V. and C.C…

The coughing and spluttering Suzaku dimly heard through his speakers returned him to his present situation. Lelouch was injured badly, in need of medical treatment. There was no time to question his sanity, not now. Lelouch came first.

He landed the Lancelot just in front of the Britannian student and let the cockpit open. Just before he did so, Suzaku remembered that he couldn't let Lelouch see his face no matter what. If he did, he risked Lelouch finding out his secret, about the Black Knights.

Suzaku threw on his helmet without a thought, making sure it was secure in front of his face and thanking Rakshata that the visor was toned black. The helmet covered all of his features. Lelouch would be unable to tell who he was unless he scrutinized extremely close, high unlikely. Rakshata had also had the foresight to install voice changers to the helmets, so the Black Knights could more easily hide their identities. So unless Lelouch could see through objects, Suzaku would be unrecognizable.

Helmet secure, Suzaku jumped down from the Lancelot and ran to Lelouch's side. He made sure to take the first aid kit (there was one in the back of the cockpit; Britannian engineers were good for something). Lelouch's face looked dark under the view of the visor but Suzaku could tell it was paler than normal. The boy's breaths were so shallow that Suzaku feared that Lelouch could die any moment and Suzaku could be none the wiser.

He carefully put his arms around Lelouch's shoulders and moved the boy to a more comfortable position in Suzaku's lap. There was a squelch from the blood oozing out of Lelouch's wound, followed by a heavy metallic scent.

Suzaku ripped off the outer coat of Lelouch's uniform and tossed it aside. Then he unbuttoned the white dress shirt, now soaked with blood and ripped off the bits of white cloth that were still dry. Luckily, this included the upper half of the shirt, so Suzaku had enough to make a crude pillow for Lelouch's head and something to close the wound, if only temporarily.

With all the gentleness he possessed, he laid Lelouch down.

His heart beat furiously in his throat and Suzaku felt himself make clumsy movements as he tried to pry open the first aid kit.

"Everything's going to be ok, Lelouch…" Suzaku said over and over, a mantra more to himself. Anything to help him focus on the task at hand, to block unnecessary panic.

Fingers nearly dropped the bottle of antiseptic. He wasn't sure if it was necessary to use antiseptic on such a large wound, but it didn't hurt to be careful. Now if only the wound would stop damn bleeding like a river…

Lelouch needed a doctor. This wasn't something household hugs and kisses could heal. But Suzaku pushed that thought away. It was too risky; he needed to concentrate on stopping the blood flow from Lelouch's side. But wasn't ignoring the severity of the situation just as risky?

 _No. Don't think._ Suzaku thought, as his fingers graced the top of Lelouch's ebony bangs very gently. The gloves he wore preventing him from being able to truly touch Lelouch, from having the comfort of touch to confirm that Lelouch was there. _Just deal with the blood for now._ He tried to put his panic aside. _Think of what to do next later._

Mechanically, he took out a roll of bandages and began to wrap them around Lelouch's waist, making sure to cover the side wound. He watched the piercing red disappear under layers of white and then tied the bandages together in a tight knot. He tried not to think of _how much_ bandage was being used.

"Everything is going to be ok…," he said again, once he recalled that he wasn't supposed to know Lelouch's name if he was to act like a stranger. His thoughts were too erratic, filled with cries of Lelouch and an urge to run as far away as possible from the battle ground, carrying the student with him.

But Lelouch was too lost in blood loss to comprehend what was said near him, too lost to realize who was with him. The boy's eyelids were half-closed in a daze. The screaming had stopped. Now Lelouch looked like a mechanical doll, broken and tattered.

Suzaku's heart ached at the sight.

His fingers brushed the side of Lelouch's cheek again and this time Suzaku gave in to the impulse to embrace him.

_It's going to be ok..._

He buried his face (or rather, the front of the helmet) in the crook of Lelouch's neck, groping desperately for a faint pulse (not that he'd be able to feel it now, with his gloves on).

_I won't let Lelouch die..._

His arms tightened around the boy's waist. He had never realized how thin Lelouch was. He swore that when he saw Lelouch back at the Lamperouge Household again, he would hover over the boy until he saw that Lelouch ate his fill. He was never going to leave his side again.

_It's going to be ok..._

The pulse was faint; it was fluctuating between steady beats and slowly dying away. Suzaku's mind raced with possibilities and options, but all of them involved him risking the mission of the Black Knights. He couldn't do that.

_I_ _f it's for Lelouch, I'll do anything... even betray Zero... even..._

No. He wouldn't. Not yet. Waves of anger at himself rushed forward. His revenge on the empire meant everything to him, so did Zero. The ghosts of Toudou and his father would never cease to haunt him if he ever jeopardized his vendetta for the sake of one boy.

_(But he couldn't imagine life without—_

_What?_ Something seemed to scream at him. _Life without what? I dare you finish that sentence, Suzaku Kururugi. Life without what?)_

"Enough!" Suzaku yelled out loud, punching his fist to the ground beside the boy's body.

He had wasted enough time. He needed someone he could trust, someone who would not tell Zero about Lelouch, someone who would somewhat understand. He needed them to bring Lelouch to a Britannian medic (it would be too conspicuous if Suzaku went, too risky for the Black Knights) because as loathe as Suzaku was to admit, bringing Lelouch to the Black Knights was not an option. He could not foresee what Zero would do with the boy (Zero would use the boy, some treachery in him whispered. He paid no attention to it.)

Suzaku reached for the black cell phone in the pocket of his vest. There was a moment's pause before Suzaku dialled a familiar number, praying to a God he no longer believed in that the other would pick up.

* * *

Tick tock. Tick tock.

 _You're running on borrowed time, Clovis,_ the prince felt the oppressive grandfather clock say. It was an ugly antique, one that he now regretted on impulse because it had merely reminded him of home. Such sentimental things would have gotten him scolded by Cornelia for overspending, while Schneizel looked on with coolly concealed amusement and slight disdain.

Clovis wondered, for a brief and foolish moment what Lelouch and Nunnally would have thought of him buying that old clock.

It sat against the wall from the throne, hidden from view, tacky decor, as Clovis could picture a young Lelouch saying without a care. Nunnally would smile sweetly and admire the clock's smooth wooden surface, oak imported from northern Britannia, trimmed with gold and carefully etched designs of angels around the clock and demons by the pendulum. Marianne would only chuckle, a silent shadow to her children's daily interactions, always watching.

The clock was a menacing presence now, a memento nori. He only had so much time left and he wasn't sure when Zero would come to end his life. It was just a matter of what his next move would be.

 _Only so many more seconds to find out Zero's name, only so many more seconds of hiding behind th_ _e real reason for ordering the all the Elevens in the ghetto slaughtered, only so many more seconds to regret every moment that led up to his moment_ the clock seemed to taunt him.

"Shut up," Clovis clenched his fists. "I don't regret any of my actions. Taking over as Area 11's governor was for _them._ Capturing N.N. was for _them_. Restarting the project was for _them_ but now..."

"Now you've nowhere to run," said a voice from behind him. It echoed off of the walls of the empty throne room, as if the intruder was an omnipotent wind.

The prince gasped and turned around. He backed away when he saw the cloaked figure standing on top of the top of the throne, feet poised elegantly as a cat's. Only the gleam of a faceless mask stared in response to Clovis's shock.

"Guards! Guards! Get in here! There's an intruder! _Kill him_!"

The order escaped his mouth before he knew it, hysterical as it bounced off the walls and repeated back to him in several more terrified echoes. Clovis stumbled towards the door, his feet now possessed by terror. His hands gripped the clasps of the bronze handles, after what seemed like forever to reach, but they slipped because of the sweat seeping off his skin.

He couldn't open the door. He wasn't sure if it was because of his shaking, his nerves or because Zero had somehow locked the doors shut.

Footsteps calmly walked towards him, as mechanical as the ticking from the grandfather clock. Tick tock. Step step. He felt his heartbeat follow the same pattern, only several times faster and far more erratic. He could hear the way Zero's heeled boots clacked against the ground. He could feel it coming closer, at the same nauseating pace and he couldn't help but think of it as a countdown.

Shivers ran up his spine. The footsteps had stopped just behind him. He had still not turned around. He didn't dare too.

Tick Tock. His heart beat erratically again. He could almost feel it jumping out of his chest, wanting to abandon its owner and body to beat elsewhere.

Then Zero spoke, slowly, deliberately and with a confidence that made Clovis half want to stab him with the dull end of a paintbrush or cower in terror.

"Have you learned my name, Clovis?"

An indignant anger rose out of his throat. "It's _Prince_ Clovis to you, commoner!" But then he remembered what Zero was capable of doing and his lips clamped shut. There was no sense in making the intruder angry. Was he going to die a fool after all?

"Your guards won't come… not until I order them to," Zero continued conversationally, as if Clovis's words meant nothing. The dark figure paced around Clovis as a shark would encircle a cornered school of fish. The terrorist raised one gloved hand to point to the glass doors.

There, the governor of Area 11 could make out several silhouettes. They looked to be the guards posted outside of his rooms and the guards that had previously been guarding him inside. But they were not moving to his aid, even after his clear order.

"What are you idiots doing? Shoot the terrorist! He's here to assassinate me!" Clovis shouted towards the shadows beyond the door. He knew that his voice would sound through the walls, and if not, then the command should have been heard on the communication system hooked to every guard's microphone. Again he repeated his order with increased volume.

The shadows made no move. Zero stood quietly in front of Clovis, as if waiting for the Prince to surrender.

His eyes narrowed. He whirled around and snarled, "What did you do? What is going on?"

"I don't believe you comprehend what situation you are in, Clovis. You see, I hold all the pieces now. We are at checkmate, as a young prince that I knew would say."

He quivered unconsciously, wondering what Zero meant with his riddled words. The prince opened his mouth to retort, to panic or to say something when Zero lifted up his other gloved hand and said in a loud voice.

"Guards of Prince Clovis, come in and stand in a line in front of your _leader_."

For a moment, Clovis thought that they would stay silent and motionless as before. But then he heard an answer, one strong enough to be heard from outside the glass.

"Yes, my Lord."

The answer sent shivers down Clovis's spine.

One by one the guards entered through the door, walking single file between Zero and Clovis. Their gazes were directed straight ahead, ignoring anything else in their peripheral vision. The prince had never seen such blank faces before, devoid of emotion and awareness. He could have sworn that there was a peculiar shade of red in each soldier's pupil but he dismissed it as his nerves playing tricks on him.

The guards stood in a line, facing Zero.

Clovis felt his knees wobble.

"What is the meaning of this?" He whispered. "Are you betraying your country? Me?"

"There is nothing to betray," Zero said. "These pawns have been captured. They are merely under my control now. Soon they will eliminate themselves."

He felt a great apprehension wrap around him. Suddenly he did not want to know what would happen next. He wanted the game to stop, like a child on the verge of losing in a game of hide-and-seek, who wishes to preserve what little honour he had left.

 _No, wait…_ He wanted to say before—

"Guards of Prince Clovis, face him now."

Their mouths moved to form the words, all at once. "Yes, my Lord." And Clovis felt as if he were watching a gruesome play being acted out before him when every heard turned simultaneously to look at him, or rather look around him. Each face still held that blank expression.

"Guards of Clovis," said the calm voice, "kindly die at once."

Every hand reached for the pistol equipped to the belt. Like wave, the hands rose, with the triggers pointed towards their forehead.

"Yes, my Lord."

The gunfire rung out in a single bang and Clovis watched in horror as all of his guards fell, the bullets secure in each skull.

Clovis fell to his knees, unable to fight the urge to vomit.

"Now do you understand?" Zero stood over him like an inescapable shadow, "I control all the pieces."

* * *

"Watch out for the Knightmares on your left!" Ohgi yelled to Tamaki, who was in a Sutherland to his right.

The other Black Knight hastily manoeuvred his weapon towards the stampede of Britannian frames. It took several shots, while Tamaki was thinking recklessly no doubt, but he had managed to hit all the frames in the cockpit seat. They fell into the graveyard of metal scrap and human bodies.

Tamaki's voice blared into the speakers. " _Thanks bishop. I owe you one._ "

"Don't thank me yet, Rook," Ohgi murmured quietly, his hands tight around the controls.

His eyes scanned the screen in his own Sutherland. Judging from the pink and blue dots on the map, they were heavily outnumbered and the Black Knights were barely able to defend what was left of the ghetto from the relentless military. So far Minami and the others had been able to direct several refugees towards the woods. This district of the ghetto had not been searched yet, but it was by far receiving the worse damage Ohgi had seen.

It was cruel, slaughtering countless people to hide your own mistakes. Not for the first time, Ohgi felt truly angry at the empire and wanted them to pay for their crimes against Japan. This senselessness could not be justified, no matter what viewpoint Ohgi looked at it.

He wanted to hate them… but knew that it wasn't in him to do so.

( _"Why do you come here?" He had asked the Britannian boy who came to his tea shop every morning, once he grew somewhat accustomed to the boy's visits. "I'm sure you are aware that many of the patrons harbour a deep hatred for your people."_

" _I thought it was obvious, the coffee is very good," the boy answered right away._

_He frowned, "I'm serious, Lelouch. Humour me for a while… why?"_

_Violet eyes became thoughtful and distant, before the boy smiled quietly and said, "Because_ you _are the owner and you are not the type of man to hate without reason." The boy paused and took another sip from his mug. "Besides, I enjoy our conversations."_

_Certain warmth, a certain pride, filled Ohgi's chest and from then on, he did not question Lelouch's strange quirks. He welcomed them as a wonderful new flavour that he was missing from his life.)_

Ohgi wished for an ideal world, a world where everyone thought without prejudice, just as Lelouch did. But he knew it was naïve and foolish. Such a world did not exist. That was why he was out on this battlefield, a place that should have been a home for many, trying to protect what was left of it.

A quick glance at the radar told him that another group of Knightmare frames were heading towards them. Hurriedly Ohgi told Tamaki and the two other Black Knights with him, to move towards the rooftop. They would ambush the Knightmare frames with gunfire from above. It was a strategy Lelouch had shared with Ohgi when the boy had been discussing his history homework with him.

( _"Always secure the high ground. The side that does this has the advantage and almost always wins."_ )

The Knightmare frames rushed in between the battered apartment buildings, as predicted. Then Ohgi gave the word. The four stolen Sutherlands gave fire and the Knightmares collapsed, filled with gaping and empty holes.

"Keep moving forward. We need to secure the rest of this block and scan for more civilians," Ohgi ordered. "If you stray from us, regroup with either Ace or Knight or radio Queen for orders."

" _Yes boss!_ " Tamaki crooned from the other side, probably throwing up his fists in victory. Ohgi always knew the man to live by his emotions.

"I'm going to go ahead and check on the progress of the other groups. I'll meet you back at HQ after the area is secure," he informed them. Once he received an affirmative as a reply, he radioed out and piloted the Sutherland towards the west.

At least he would have… if his old cell phone, the one that he had owned before Zero issued the new ones, had not ringed. Ohgi fell still, listening to the old tone blare in the cockpit. Only a select few knew to phone this number and only in emergencies—Kallen, Tamaki, Suzaku and Viletta. Back when the Black Knights had only been a gang with no future, it was necessary to keep track of those closest to you.

As far as he knew, Kallen and Tamaki still carried their old phones, just in case. They had not told Zero about them, never feeling the need to, as if an inner self was warning them not to put all their cards on the table yet. Now his old phone was ringing and Ohgi was dreading to know what the reason was. The only reason someone would use the old phone was if they had misplaced the new one… or if they had trouble they didn't want Zero to know about.

Ohgi moved his Sutherland to a more secluded area on the radar. Once he took care to see that there were no enemies nearby, he cautiously landed the Sutherland and then dug into his pocket to pull out an old Japanese phone. It still had the number pad, rather than the new keyboard which all the new models seem to carry. It was also bulky compared to the recent Britannian models and the paint had faded over time.

He opened the phone and lifted it to his ear, wincing as he heard loud static on the other end. "Hello?"

" _Thank god,_ " he heard underneath the crackling noise of the earpiece. " _Ohgi, I need your help._ "

The voice was half-relieved and half-urgent. It made Ohgi frown and he pulled the phone closer against his ear.

"Suzaku?" He asked, because he wasn't sure if that was Suzaku's voice or not. The speakers garbled up any recognizable tone, but he could still tell that something seemed to have Zero's second Ace terrified.

" _Yes, it's me,_ " the other replied impatiently. " _I need you to head over to my location. It's life-or-death_."

"What do you mean?" He asked, scenarios of what could have gone wrong racing through his head. "Did the enemy get the cargo? Where's Ace? Is she there? Why haven't you called Zero?"

" _Enough already!_ " Suzaku interrupted. " _We're wasting time! Hurry up and come to my location—alone. Don't tell anyone else. You're the only one I can trust with this—"_

"Suzaku—"

" _Oh shit. The military's here. I'll meet you at these coordinates,_ "Suzaku mouthed the numbers so hurriedly that Ohgi barely had time to write them down on his hand, " _in ten minutes. And hurry. He doesn't have much more time!_ "

"Wait, Suzaku, who is 'he'? What do you mean 'more time'?" Ohgi asked. "Suzaku? Suzaku!"

There was only the dial tone. Zero's ace had hung up, leaving him with only vague instructions.

Ohgi started up the Sutherland and looked at the horizon. Just before Suzaku had ended the call, Ohgi had heard the sound of gunfire. He felt his heart clench and he had a strange feeling that he was making a decision that would change his life forever.

He needed to hurry.

* * *

Just as Suzaku shoved the phone into his vest pocket, he saw the Knightmares approaching. They glimmered in the sunlight, armour in dark hues of grey blue and grey purple. A bystander could have mistaken them for iron gods, ready to wage war or perhaps even armoured warriors exacting justice. Suzaku only saw monsters.

Immediately, the Knightmares fired towards him with long range rifles.

Faster than he had ever moved before, Suzaku scooped Lelouch into his arms and ran to the Lancelot. He jumped up into the cockpit easily. Lelouch felt light as a feather to him (maybe from the blood loss… or the fact that he was a very skinny boy). Then he settled into the pilot seat and rearranged Lelouch into a more comfortable position on his lap, so that he was half-carrying Lelouch securely and still able to manage the Lancelot's controls.

The faint body warmth reassured Suzaku that there was still time left. Lelouch would not die.

He tightened his hands around one of the levers, trying to think of the quickest way out of the ghetto and as close as possible to a Britannian camp.

There was some muffled garble on one of the communication channels. Suzaku frowned and shut it off. Unless Ohgi called him back on the phone, he would ignore all calls and then feign ignorance later if Zero or any of the other Black Knights tried to tell him off for disregarding orders. He could always pretend that the speaker was broken, or actually break it.

The Knightmares were coming. They rolled up quickly against the concrete, surrounding him in seconds. Suzaku kept his calm and observed their numbers. About twenty frames surrounded him. They were still trying to shoot him, but Suzaku had moved Lancelot in an one hundred and eighty degree spin, fast enough to deflect any serious bullets.

Then, before the Britannians could react or switch to more effective weaponry, Suzaku activated the Lancelot's float system. His white frame zoomed out from the center of the circle of Knightmares and shot over the rooftops towards where the battles were taking place.

The Knightmares followed, on the ground. Only the eighth generation Knightmare frames had flight capabilities after all, Suzaku smirked to himself. He lowered his left hand from the lever to press it against Lelouch's cheek. The boy's skin was dangerously cold…

Suzaku increased the speed of the frame, rushing in between a skirmish between thirteen Sutherlands (about five were Black Knights, while the rest were mere Brits) which was taking place on a rooftop.

The apartment building was on the verge of crumbling, so Suzaku helped it along by slashing at one of the pillars. The more confusion he caused, the better. Then it would be more difficult for others to pinpoint his path. He didn't want any unwanted eyes near.

His arms moved in closer around Lelouch and his fingers tightened over the Lancelot's controls. _Don't worry Lelouch. I'll save you._

His screen alerted him to an incoming missile, aimed for the Lancelot's float system. Quickly, Suzaku moved the Lancelot, dodging the attack. Then another missile came just as suddenly from in front. Suzaku swore loudly and manoeuvred his Knightmare again, almost smashing into an electric pole. But just as he did that, there was another missile, one he did not anticipate, being so distracted.

It hit the Lancelot's right arm and tore off its hand. The slash harken flew away like an arrow, landing in a heap beside mountains of human corpses. Suzaku held his disgust (at himself for being unable to dodge and at the sight of the bodies) to himself.

He looked down at the ground. There were at least twenty Sutherlands, equipped with rocket launchers down below… and all of them were pointed towards him.

Then, when Suzaku thought things couldn't get any worse, one hit the back of Lancelot's float system. And he abruptly felt the sensation of free falling, as if his entire stomach had flipped inside out and was going to flap out of his lips. The world was spinning. The Lancelot was falling.

The last thing Suzaku could think of was wrapping his arms around Lelouch, feeling the faint warmth while clutching the lever desperately with his right hand.

* * *

_Wake up, little Prince. Your Knight needs you now._

_Nemo?_ Lelouch thought warily before awareness hit him full-force and instantly Lelouch felt as if he had been returned to his body. The boy shot up, his head hitting something hard, something which he realized was an elbow.

He quickly deduced that he was sitting in someone's lap, someone male (no doubt from the chest) and dressed in a white pilot suit, the design of which he did not recognize. There was an insignia on the right side of the pilot's vest, a black chess piece… the king. It struck Lelouch as odd (the designer had good taste) and yet he felt as if he had seen it before in a hazy dream…

"Shit!" The pilot swore, drawing Lelouch's attention to the white helmet with a black visor. He couldn't see the pilot's face and the pilot also seemed to have a voice modifier installed into the helmet. It screamed of suspicion.

But before Lelouch could voice his displeasure, he felt it, the sickening lurch of one's insides when one fell from several feet.

Lelouch's eyes widened. They were in a Knightmare. They were falling (which didn't make sense, unless they were the eighth generation frames that Schneizel had boasted about to him on the phone, the frames that could _fly_ ). They were going to die if someone didn't do something _now_.

His eyes scanned the various screens and gauges on the Knightmare's control panel. Over twenty enemy frames below, shooting missiles at them. A float system which had about forty three percent damage, only half of it had been hit. A missing mechanical hand. Weapons included three more slash harkens, a gun of some sort…

"Aim your VARIS particle rifle at them, then redirect the slash harken you lost towards you!" Lelouch barked, once a strategy had been fully formed in his mind.

"Huh?" the pilot said rather unintelligently.

God, he was a slow person, wasn't he?

Annoyance made Lelouch snap, "Did you not listen? If you want to live, just do as I say!"

"B-But you w-were injured! How are you…?"

That was a good point. Lelouch hadn't felt any pain since that voice had spoke in his mind again (Nemo, probably). In fact, he felt as if the wound wasn't there at all. Maybe the screaming and seeing red little Vs everywhere trend was a phase?

Whatever, he'd think about that later. As well as what the hell had just happened to him, where Nemo had gone and all that jazz. Yes, later sounded lovely.

"Unimportant. Just hurry and fire your rifle. There's a booster on your slash harpen which will redirect it back to your Knightmare's hands. Then you can use it against the enemy," he said efficiently, as if he were back with Rivalz, playing methodical chess against a noble. If only.

"Alright. I trust you," said the pilot.

Obediently, the pilot reached over Lelouch's shoulders and moved several levers and buttons, all too quickly for Lelouch to comprehend. But according to the screen, the Knightmare was pulling out the VARIS particle rifle and pointing it down at the twenty Sutherlands below.

He pressed one button, a message popped on the screen, asking if the pilot wanted to continue on with firing the VARIS. He pressed the button again. Yes.

The Knightmare they were in was pushed backwards into the air, hurtling meters away from the twenty Sutherlands. A colourful pink beam had launched out of the rifle, obliterating the unfortunate few frames that had been in the center of the group of Sutherlands. The force of the beam allowed the Knightmare they were in (Lancelot, Lelouch read the name) to launch backwards over several apartment buildings, far from sight. Just as Lelouch had hoped.

Next the pilot activated the boosters on his missing slash harken. They were installed within each bladed weapon of the Lancelot, allowing the blades to change direction in mid-fall.

Because of this, the fallen slash harken lifted up, like a rocket and zoomed towards the Lancelot's other hand. The slash harken only had one pathway, in a linear direction, thus it slashed through all obstacles. Such obstacles were destroyed, obstacles like the one of the remaining Sutherlands that had not been destroyed by the VARIS particle beam.

Its head was severed in a clean sweep and the slash harken flew smoothly towards the Lancelot's remaining arm.

The Lancelot fell with a sounding thud, onto the rooftop of one of the lower buildings, an old maintenance shop. Judging from the radar, the enemy had been avoided and the Sutherlands didn't know where they were yet.

"That was brilliant...," the pilot said, with what Lelouch detected was awe. "How did you know...?"

"It was easy to figure out," he said flippantly. He didn't want to deal with the details of his IQ or the fact that Schneizel and Lloyd had allowed Lelouch to look at some of the Lancelot's designs when he was bored with schoolwork and chess.

Lelouch decided to change the subject to something of more value.

"Who are you?" He asked sharply. It was best to get the facts now. "Who are you working for and what are your intentions with me?"

 _You are a terrorist._ That was obvious when the pilot was being attacked by the military. And if the pilot was not a terrorist, but an unexpected third part member, Lelouch still didn't trust him. The pilot had not killed Lelouch yet. Perhaps he knew who Lelouch really was and was plotting a ransom. Perhaps he was going to hold Lelouch hostage later for a different purpose.

Or perhaps he would kill Lelouch when the pilot found something to gain.

The pilot was still and did not seem to move. His helmet made it impossible for Lelouch to decipher any emotions from his expressions. Looking into the black visor made Lelouch nervous because he felt as if he were staring into a black hole and a dark emptiness, but he did not show it.

"Sorry," the reply was short, "but I can't answer that."

"Well you can't just keep me here. I'm a civilian. I don't—"

 _I don't have any part in this_ , was what Lelouch wanted to say, before his eyes strayed to the screen. He froze, unable to turn away from the footage which seemed to burn itself into his mind. There were bodies littering the ground below, bodies of the Japanese, those who had lived in the ghetto. There was evidence of systematic slaughter, of gunfire being used on them…

"Don't look!" the pilot said sharply.

Then Lelouch felt a sharp pressure at the back of his neck and just before he fell into unconsciousness (the bodies… so many bodies…), he heard her voice again, giggling at an irony that escaped him.

_Call him Knight, for now, Little Prince. It is a suitable label… for the time being._

* * *

"I still can't believe this," Rivalz blurted, seated in the back by the other man who claimed to be Lelouch's older brother, his half-brother.

Prince Schneizel did not answer. He seemed to think that silence was the appropriate response.

After Rivalz had fainted, Schneizel pulled him into the truck and ordered Cecile (the driver) to send out a command to all communication channels. All military were to be on the lookout for a missing civilian, a male Ashford student and return him, alive, straight to Prince Schneizel. He promised a generous award and promotion. If any soldier accidentally hurt said person, Schneizel would strip them of their military rank (he also implied that a mysterious, and unfortunate, accident might happen to them in the future).

Now they were waiting for word to radio in. Cecile claimed it was too dangerous for them to drive straight into the Shinjuku ghetto themselves, not when the crown prince was in the vehicle. What if the truck got caught in a misfire?

Neither Schneizel nor Rivalz were pleased with this. They stewed over the predicament in the back. Schneizel tapped his fingers on the windows periodically while Cecile looked worriedly at him. The driver kept murmuring something about an earl named Lloyd and a Lancelot, but Rivalz wasn't quite sure if he had heard correctly. Apparently someone had stolen a Lancelot and Cecile tried to stop them, but she had had to eject from her Knightmare…

In the meantime, Rivalz went over the information in his head, piecing together the truth with what he knew about his friend. Lelouch and Nunnally were the missing siblings, presumed to have been killed, who had escaped to Japan almost ten years ago. They had been running away from their corrupt father. They were still running to this day.

This explained the lack of social life, the secrecy, the care Milly took in guarding the two Lamperouges, how much Lelouch sacrifice, the overprotective guardians, that house they lived in which Rivalz felt was armed for war. Lelouch was a prince, heck that made Nunnally a princess too!

Rivalz slumped back into his seat, "I can't believe he never told me."

"He couldn't afford to," the other man responded. "Secrets have a tendency of being leaked if you grow careless and tell even one person."

"I _know_ that, you don't need to tell me," Rivalz muttered irritably.

Normally he would have been appalled at himself for speaking so rudely to royalty (Oh god, Schneizel is going to order my head chopped off!) but at the moment he didn't care. He kept thinking of Lelouch at gunpoint, tied up and bleeding somewhere. The terrorists might use him as a hostage or his body could have been dumped into a ditch.

Poor Lelouch, Rivalz had never known the extent of his friend's circumstances. Now that he did, Rivalz wanted only to find his friend and make sure that Lelouch never had to deal with such horrors again. He had had enough horrors for one lifetime (imagine watching your mother burn to death while your ship sunk). Rivalz couldn't even find it in himself to be angry at Lelouch for keeping it secret. He couldn't blame him.

Who would want to be a prince, if it meant that your human worth was stripped down to being a political tool?

It wasn't a fate Rivalz would allow for his friend. Never.

He got out of the truck, taking one of the pistols that had been stored below the seat.

"Where are you going?" Schneizel called after him. "It's not safe."

"I _know_ that. But I'm can't just sit here and wait. I'm going to go look for Lelouch. He needs me," said Rivalz. "You can't stop me."

Schneizel's face was blank. "Do you believe you'll find him? Do you even know where you are going? The ghetto is a big place. I wonder if you even know how to shoot a gun…"

"I can shoot just fine!" He lied, "Even so—"

"I will accompany you."

Rivalz felt his jaw drop. He saw that Cecile looked like she was about to foam at the mouth.

"What? Your highness, you can't! You have responsibilities. If we lost you—"

"Well, I suppose you will just have to do your best to protect me and prevent that from happening, Ms. Cecile," the prince smiled charmingly at her. "By the way, this is an order."

With a fixed and determined gaze, Schneizel walked to Rivalz's side. "Let us go find my brother."

* * *

Ohgi wasn't sure what he expected to find when he arrived at the checkpoint. Suzaku had phoned in again, giving him specific instruction to put on his black helmet and make sure that his face was completely hidden. He also told Ohgi to put on the voice modifier, just in case (whatever that meant, Ohgi still wasn't sure).

The place Suzaku had chosen as their meeting place was obscured by pine trees. It was high up on a rugged cliff, impossible to reach on foot, let alone climb, because of the rough and slippery texture of the stone. A fall from that height would kill a normal human being. Wild grass and gnarled roots covered the rocky cliff, while an old and abandoned shrine (once red, but the paint had worn away) stood just a few meters from the edge. It overlooked the ghetto, hidden from view by green branches.

Once, before a bomb had destroyed this place and left it a barren cliff, Ohgi had met Naoto here. They played games of hide and seek, tag and imaginary games where they were heroes or pirates. Sometimes they left offerings at the shrine, slightly superstitious of what spirits may be lurking there. Later, after Japan was invaded and the shrine unreachable, Ohgi and Naoto formed the Black Knights, a gang. It had been Naoto's idea, of course. The location of the shrine would be shared to Suzaku one day, when Ohgi took him out for drinks, in a drunken ramble.

Returning to this small shrine made Ohgi feel as if he had traveled back in time. He half expected a thirteen year old Naoto to burst from the trees.

But the white figure of the Lancelot, somewhat obscured by leafy pine branches, told Ohgi that time had passed. He was still in the present world, where blood and gunfire were daily occurrences.

"Knight?" Ohgi called out, once he landed the Sutherland beside the white Knightmare and hopped out of the cockpit.

"Bishop, I'm here."

He looked towards the foot of the Lancelot, where a pilot in a white suit and helmet stood. Ohgi climbed down, about to ask what trouble Suzaku was in, when he saw the boy in Suzaku's arms.

It was Lelouch, chest bandaged with blood stained fabric, looking battered and beaten. His hair was tousled and covered with grit. The boy's skin was pale, if not adorned with purple bruises. He looked impossibly thin and fragile in Suzaku's hold, that Ohgi was afraid that one touch might break him.

"Oh my god…," he murmured, moving forward until he was close enough to see Lelouch's sleeping face. "What happened to him?"

The Britannian student wasn't supposed to be here. Several possibilities and doubts filled Ohgi's head. Perhaps Suzaku had told Lelouch about the Black Knights (it seemed plausible, given their sexual relationship, Ohgi still felt embarrassed about the phone call he had accidentally heard). And Lelouch, being the altruistic fool he was, tried to get involved but had gotten injured in the process. Perhaps Lelouch was suspicious about Suzaku's whereabouts and followed him to the battlefield. Perhaps he had been sneaking off into the ghetto to gamble but got caught in crossfire…

"I'm not sure. But I know he's innocent in all this, Bishop. He wasn't supposed to be here but he somehow got caught up in all this. Someone tried to _kill_ him, Bishop; I only just got there… but…" He watched as Suzaku's grip tightened around Lelouch, "… I might have been too late."

"Please Ohgi;" the pilot said his name, forgetting Zero's protocol, "you're the only one I can trust. You have to help me save him. I can't bring him to the Britannian military myself because I can't risk them finding out about me—"

That was true, Suzaku was Zero's ace. If the enemy captured him, it would surely spell trouble.

"—but you can bring Lelouch to the medics. You can pretend that you were here in the ghetto and tried to escape, or you can think of something else, anything. You're the only one who understands that Lelouch wouldn't hurt anyone. Just please—"

"Suzaku, stop! I'll do it, don't worry. I will _not_ let Lelouch die."

The effect was instantaneous. Ohgi watched as the pilot's shoulders relaxed in relief. He was almost insulted by it. Did Suzaku honestly believe that Ohgi was heartless enough to abandon his friend? Even if Ohgi wasn't as close to Suzaku as he was with Kallen and the deceased Naoto, he was on good terms with Lelouch. He valued the boy very much.

Lelouch was his friend.

"Give him to me; I'll make sure he gets to the Britannian medics." Never mind how Ohgi would do it. He wasn't exactly sure at this point, but he had to try.

Silently Suzaku lifted Lelouch into Ohgi's arms, as if the boy were glass. But before he gave the student to Ohgi, he took off his helmet and leaned in close to the boy's face. Ohgi watched as the pilot lifted up a hand to touch Lelouch's cheek, letting it linger for a few moments in a tenderness Ohgi had never seen the pilot use before.

Suzaku was looking at Lelouch the way Ohgi looked at Viletta and the way she looked at him in turn.

Then, Suzaku let his lips touch the boy's forehead, eyes closed. He let his lips stay for several heartbeats, before he turned his head away.

"Take care of him," he said in a raspy voice.

"I promise that I will."

How could he do anything less for the boy Suzaku loved?

* * *

They had barely passed the first row of shattered windows and burning overturned garbage cans before Rivalz spotted his first corpse.

At first he had thought it to be a strange smell in the air, maybe rotting compost or a chemical. But the air was too foul and putrid. Besides, the smell reminded Rivalz of the time he had accidentally left meat out to dry in the sink. It had gone bad and so Rivalz threw it out, and the bag had ripped. The next week, when he went to take out the garbage there was that revolting scent, musky and rotting in a way that couldn't be described.

The smell of rotting flesh, or at least, the smell of fresh corpse.

He had tripped over it and sworn, warning Prince Schneizel and Cecile to stay back. They were looking at him in shock and when he realized what his foot had been caught under, he had had to vomit on the sidewalk.

It was a human leg, followed by a torso and arms and a head. He had fallen over an old lady, who now had bloody holes in her blouse, just around her ribs and her lungs and her heart and oh god… He couldn't go on in describing it. Her eyes were now forever glazed with a look of petrifaction, and her lips were still parted, only lifeless and trailing with fresh crimson.

Rivalz felt sick. Cecile had had to stop herself from falling faint while Schneizel averted his eyes. But Rivalz saw the prince's hand shaking in silent fury.

It was an unfortunate civilian casualty. That was that the three of them assumed in the sickening quiet.

They continued on, venturing into one of the deserted garages of a mechanic shop, checking for civilians. Cecile went in first, holding up her pistol. Then Schneizel followed while Rivalz stayed at the back, holding his pistol in a way which screamed of his inexperience with a gun.

They found their next batch of bodies, shot in the same manner, deliberately, just outside the back door. There were signs of a break in and dark muddy footsteps made by boots. Rivalz threw up again and Cecile actually fell. He didn't look up to see Schneizel's reaction, too sick to bother.

He wanted to think it was another casualty, but it didn't look to be so. After all, this family had had nothing to do with harbouring terrorists and this area high on the third floor. Rivalz had doubts that the terrorists had run through here and just killed these people…

Then they reached the next block and they saw soldiers gunning down a crowd of children, fleeing from the school.

That was when Rivalz truly knew—this wasn't an issue of civilian causalities. This was a massacre, plain and simple, caused by the country's army.

"What the fuck are you people doing?" Rivalz shouted, once the shock had worn off. He pointed his pistol at them. He had never wanted to kill anyone before, but seeing these crimes being played out in front of him made him think differently. If these damned _soldiers_ had killed Lelouch as well… then so help them, Rivalz would shoot them until their corpses could not be recognized.

"Rivalz, stop," Cecile said sharply, though her own weapon was pointed at them in the same manner.

"But why? These bastards—"

"Enough!" Rivalz almost didn't hear Schneizel walk up to the soldier's with a menacing aura. "Schneizel El Britannia orders you to stop this foolishness at once! _Do not shoot_ the Elevens or any other civilians!"

The soldiers seemed confused at first, but when they saw the royal robes that Schneizel wore and saw his face, they dropped their guns in an instant. Each of them fell to their knees in a deep bow, begging for forgiveness.

The only ones left alive in the crowd of children, were the ones in the back, only five to six years old, looking helplessly at the older ones who had shielded them from attack. Cecile was herding them back instantly, trying to say soothing words, but only succeeding in frightening the little ones further.

"We're sorry, your highness," one of the soldiers stammered, eyes glued to the ground. "We were only following orders from Prince Clovis. We didn't know that we would displease you…"

Suddenly the air felt oppressive and ice cold. There was a glint in Schneizel's eyes which made Cecile and Rivalz back away slightly.

"…Clovis ordered this…?"

"Yes, your highness… so as you can understand the situation, it wasn't our fault. We were just following orders. We're loyal to the empire—"

"Cecile," the prince said curtly, interrupting the grovelling.

"Yes, Prince Schneizel?"

"Arrest these men. Then get me a radio. I'm going to broadcast an order that the massacre be stopped at once. Then I am going to have a chat with _dear Clovis_ after we locate Lelouch…"

Cecile and Rivalz suppressed their shivers at the obvious killing intent laced in the crown prince's voice, a killing intent which promised more suffering than Satan ever could. Clovis was in for something worse than hell for his crimes and Rivalz couldn't help but think that it was what the bastard deserved.

Quietly Cecile handcuffed the men while Rivalz scouted ahead, watching out for more murdering military and any signs of Lelouch.

He looked down at the street littered with rubble and bodies and felt his stomach twist. A few hours ago, the ghetto was merely a place that Rivalz knew how to find on a map. Today it was a graveyard that he was walking through, searching through dead bodies, hoping that none were his friend.

Rivalz never wanted to call them Elevens again. They were Japanese, just as Lelouch said. It would be wrong to call them Elevens now, especially when he had just seen what had been done to them.

What kind of ruler had he been living under, for all these years? Why had he never paid attention to what Prince Clovis said on the broadcasts? How could he have continued to live his life, so naïve, so carefree when these people… in his own city…

He wondered if this was how Lelouch felt all the time, helpless and angry at the world.

And then, Rivalz heard a cry for help.

* * *

He had hidden the Sutherland somewhere in the woods and then changed out of his pilot suit into more casual civilian wear. Then Ohgi dirtied them to make it look as if he had been running a long time and made sure to injure himself to make the overall image more authentic. He needed to look like a civilian, caught up in massacre. Hopefully, he could sneak past the soldiers and get to the medics (he knew that they knew nothing of Clovis's order) he could convince them that he found Lelouch injured in the chaos.

It was fine for Ohgi to reveal himself. He could make a plausible story about visiting an old friend but then getting caught up in an explosion made by the terrorists. Then he found Lelouch, an acquaintance from his tea shop, bleeding on the ground.

Yes, it was a believable story. The medics would be compassionate enough to take care of one of their own, even if they felt distrust to Ohgi. If he got captured based on prejudice, Zero would be able to continue in his plans without him. He wasn't an essential piece like Suzaku and Kallen were and he would not give up any information, no matter how much the enemy interrogated him. It was risky, but Ohgi felt that it was the only way he could truly guarantee medical attention for his friend.

Ohgi set out, carrying Lelouch by the shoulder, sneaking in the allies. He made sure to avoid the soldiers and tried to keep to the shadows. The only positive was that Lelouch was a very light person so Ohgi didn't tire quickly from supporting his weight. It was ridiculous, how one individual who was so important, could weigh so little.

Eventually Ohgi drew close to where the Britannian medics were stationed, about two blocks from the end of the ghetto. He sighed in relief and continued on, until he heard gunshots and saw children running towards him.

He hid in the ally, watching carefully as he saw three individuals not far from the soldiers. One, to Ohgi's surprise, was one of Lelouch's school friends. Once he had met the boy (was his name Rivalz, or something?) when Lelouch had been running late to school. Rivalz had given Ohgi the impression of being a laid back and careless person. But when Ohgi regarded how Rivalz seemed to hover over his friend in his own unique way, he felt himself relax. Lelouch had good friends and he was relieved to know this.

 _He must be here looking for Lelouch_ , Ohgi thought. He could think of no other reason. _I can use this…_

Quietly he waited for Rivalz to separate from the other two with him. He was unable to hear what they were saying, only picking up bits and pieces of vague words such as 'orders' and 'dear Clovis.' When Rivalz moved ahead of the two, looking warily back and forth, Ohgi made his move.

"Help!" he cried out and watched victoriously when Rivalz came running towards the ally.

Quickly Ohgi laid Lelouch against the ground and slipped into a nearby dumpster. When he heard Rivalz's exclamations of joy, he let his back roll back.

Now it was up to the medics.

* * *

"He was already bandaged when I found him, I told you that," Rivalz repeated again for Schneizel to hear. "Look, can we just go see how Lelouch is doing? You've been asking me, no offense, crappy questions for the past fifteen minutes!"

He was honestly getting irritated by the constant onslaught of questions. You would think that the elder brother had better things to do, such as keeping vigil over his brother, rather than interrogate him. If this was only a taste of what Lelouch's family was like, Rivalz didn't blame him and his sister for fleeing to Area 11. Schneizel was insanely scary when he cared about someone.

Schneizel looked ready to burn Rivalz to a crisp, with only his eyes. But the fire in his eyes dimmed down once he took into consideration his brother's condition and he nodded.

"Very well, we will continue this conversation later."

They both walked into the medic vehicle, where Lelouch was laid on the back of the car seat, his bandages torn away. Cecile was looking very perplexed, staring down at the scar on the boy's side... or at least... what should have been a scar.

The scar wasn't bleeding or raw. Rather, it had already healed, leaving behind on a light red mark, smooth as the rest of Lelouch's skin, in the shape of a V. The scar stretched up to Lelouch's heart and the midsection of his back, along the side, but nothing more.

Rivalz suddenly had an ominous feeling about it and felt the need to shield Lelouch's scar from the prying eyes of the military.

"...What is that?" He blurted before he could think.

"It's nothing," the crown prince said sharply. In particular Schneizel eyed Cecile with a threatening look, "and it will remain that way."

"Wait, you know something. What is it? Is it going to hurt Lelouch? Well?"

"I said it's nothing," Schneizel snapped again.

Suddenly Rivalz felt very foolish. He recalled what Milly had said about Lelouch having enemies. What if Schneizel was one of those enemies? What if he tried to hurt Lelouch later on and this was part of his plan? That scar on Lelouch wasn't anything to brush off, they were something... horrible. Rivalz had a bad feeling about it.

Schneizel moved forward to place a hand on Lelouch but Rivalz jumped in front of him irrationally, "Don't touch Lelouch!"

Now the prince seemed irritated. "Out of the way. I am not going to hurt him, Rivalz."

"Oh yeah? Well how do I know that? How do I know you're not working for Lelouch's father? How do I know I can trust you, Schneizel?" Rivalz blurted out the prince's name, feeling nothing but anger for Lelouch's sake.

"Because I spent three years thinking that my brother was dead and for those three years I wanted nothing more than to destroy Area 11. But then I found him, _alive_ , along with my sister Nunnally and I swore that I would protect their happiness and _protect him and Nunnally_. I will never let him die again!"

Then Schneizel fell silent.

"...He's my brother... I don't want to see him die."

They stared intensely at each other. Several minutes passed. Finally, Rivalz nodded, seeing something in Schneizel's expression that convinced him of his honesty and he stepped down.

That was when Lelouch awoke.

* * *

"No," the prince stumbled towards the wall, slipping against the glass surface. "Get away from me. Don't come any closer! _Stay away, terrorist_!"

"From your viewpoint, perhaps I am. But from another, I will be seen as a revolutionary."

"Shut up! You're a terrorist, you're not revolutionizing anything!"

"History is funny that way. I wonder if you will be seen as a tyrant, once I am done with you, rather than an exalted ruler?"

The cloaked figure continued to move towards the terrified Clovis, each step deliberate with an echoing clack. Clovis felt that the closer Zero stepped, the shadows seemed to draw nearer, as if they followed him.

"Have you figured out who I am, yet, Clovis? Would you like me to show you before I give you your final gift?"

"No, get away!"

He didn't know who Zero was, and he didn't want to know. He also didn't want the final gift, he was sure it was an invitation to early grave, one that Clovis couldn't willingly refuse.

One gloved hand reached up to touch the black mask. Then, it felt as if time had slowed. The mask fell, cluttering on the ground. Clovis saw a face, a familiar mouth, nose and eyes... There was no mistake. Clovis felt his heart beat furiously and then, he truly wanted to fall back, wake up, and realize this was a dream.

It wasn't.

And the real face of Zero was staring back at him.

"No... no, you can't be...? But you're dead! You were supposed to have died on that ship, nearly ten years ago! They said you burned to death, along with the rest of the project, and then the ship sunk! You can't—"

"Oh, but I can be alive. I am _very much_ alive."

The last thing Clovis saw was a pair of red eyes, glowing with little Vs painted in crimson irises.

* * *

Suzaku needed to hurry back to the others. The package that Red and Blue had been sent to deliver to Zero had been compromised. In fact, Suzaku was almost positive that the little girl that had tried to kill Lelouch had been that very package. Such superhuman powers, just like C.C. and V.V., even if it was of a different variety... it was too coincidental.

What had Zero been planning to do with the little girl in the first place? Suzaku wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer. He refused to believe that Zero would use that little monster in any of his grand plans.

He neared the Black Knights hideout, where the others had gathered after setting free as many refugees as possible.

" _Knight,_ " Kallen's voice blared on his communication systems, " _Where have you been? Did you get the package?"_

He was about to reply, unsure of what sort of lie to tell, when Kallen cut him off again.

" _Never mind, that's not important. There's a broadcast being recorded and shown all over Japan. You need to watch it, it's important."_

Suzaku frowned, and with one hand, typed in the instructions to connect the Lancelot's control panel to the internet. Once that was done, he logged into a news network and watched with fascination as a screen popped up.

His jaw nearly dropped, but he stopped it in time.

There was Zero, standing on top of the tallest tower (it was a clock tower) of Clovis's palace. Below him, stood the governor of Area 11, standing in front of the edge of the clock, by the number six. He held a noose in his hands.

" _Welcome citizens of Japan..._ " Suzaku watched Zero say with open arms on the screen, _"to the execution of the tyrant Clovis la Britannia, third prince of the Britannian empire._ "

* * *

"Lelouch, are you alright? How are you feeling? Need any water?"

"Urgh...," he groaned, unable to stop the ringing in his head. "Rivalz...? Is that you...?" Lelouch opened his eyes, scowling at the bright light before he focused on the hazy image of blue hair and realized that his friend was really beside him. "Rivalz..."

There was an oddly chocked laugh before Lelouch felt a heavy weight around him, crushing his lungs. He quickly realized that his friend was crushing him in a painful hug. "Yes, it's me, buddy! I'm so glad you're not dead! I don't know what I would have done if..."

"Argh! Rivalz, get off me!"

An amused chuckled broke the noisy atmosphere. Lelouch looked up and blinked. "Schneizel? What are you doing here?"

"I was just passing through, little brother. We found you in the ghetto, care to explain?"

Uh oh. Lelouch could sense the overprotective aura rising from the elder man already. Immediately, Lelouch rushed towards a different subject.

"Tell me why you are both here first. Did a pilot in a white suit bring me here?"

They both frowned but before they could answer, a woman that Lelouch recognized as Cecile gave a quiet gasp.

"Your highness, I think you should see this."

She scooted over in the front seat, giving the three of them a view of the small screen in the truck. There on the screen, was a man with a black mask and cape, standing on top of the royal palace. Below him, was Clovis with a noose in his hands.

"... _execution of the tyrant Clovis la Britannia, third prince of the Britannian Empire,_ " said the masked man on the screen." _I am Zero, leader of the Black Knights, and today I will set you free from him."_

* * *

Walk On In

Extra Scene: Takes place after Chapter 6

* * *

"What's your number, Suzaku?"

The biker was lying on the bed, reading an article in the newspaper that Jeremiah had left lying around. Arthur, for once, wasn't biting him and was curled up at his feet, purring contently. He blinked up lazily, his curls as messy as ever and his shirt rolled up to reveal quite a bit of tanned skin.

Lelouch fought the urge to stare. He was a dignified ex-prince; he could live with some revealing masculine body. After all, he was a male himself. Yup, he wasn't staring. Definitely not.

Suzaku smiled up at him and recited the number which Lelouch dutifully typed into the contact list of his phone. Then Suzaku asked, "So what is your number, Lelouch?"

"You already have the house number, Suzaku," the Britannian boy dismissed the comment. He wanted to leave the room as quickly and discretely as possible. He still felt uncomfortable about the "sibling" issue that Suzaku had shared with him earlier.

A hand snuck around Lelouch's waist, making him freeze. And suddenly, he felt warm breath against his ear and a husky whisper, "But not your _personal_ number, Lelouch. Not your c _ell phone_ number."

The room temperature went up several degrees and Lelouch was sure that his whole face was red. It was absolutely mortifying. Why was his body reacting this way?

"Let go, you idiot!" Lelouch roared, stepping back.

This however, made things worse.

Both of them tumbled back, falling onto the bed together. Lelouch tried to run away, but Suzaku's hold was too strong. They ended up rolling around in the sheets, with Suzaku trying to steal Lelouch's phone and him trying to hide it in his shirt (he was desperate, ok?)

At some point Arthur had yowled and tried to bite Suzaku (at least there was a plus side of having a stalker cat obsessed with you), leaving a red mark on his neck.

Lelouch almost reached the edge of the mattress, ready to escape when Suzaku pinned Lelouch's arms and straddled his waist. He grinned down at Lelouch victoriously.

"I win."

"I'll say," drawled C.C., from the door, watching the show with a camera in hand. "Looks like Suzaku is a top."

Next, there were many profanities from Lelouch's mouth, a little bit from Suzaku, but not so much more than a rather smug grin.


End file.
